Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 348 Don’t die as a dead Taoist friend!
After a while,
Miao Youlin entered the account with a very bad expression and brought back bad news:
"Your Majesty, there are 2 similar cases in the 235nd Army, and more in the 1st Expeditionary Army. The doctor said that this disease was not uncommon in previous years, with diarrhea and abdominal pain, sometimes accompanied by high fever and rashes all over the body."

"Is the ban on drinking raw water in the camp implemented?"

The officers lowered their heads.

No need to ask, many people must be lazy.

Li Yu took a deep breath and began to issue military orders:
"From now on, all patients will be camped together and separated from the rest of the healthy soldiers. Their campsites must be downstream of the river, and toilets must be dug separately."

"Tell the soldiers that they are not allowed to drink raw water even if they die of thirst. Once found, regardless of their military rank, they will be given 40 cents on the spot."

"You must wash your hands after using the toilet."

After a series of orders, the military law team immediately began to beat gongs and propaganda in each camp.

……

The others didn't know the seriousness, but Li Yu knew it very well.

There were only two times when our side was able to brave these 6 rounds of attacks, rush in front of them alive, and still have the courage to fight hand-to-hand. These two times it was still the case that our own team had an absolute numerical advantage.

"I have some complaints, but I'm fine now."

Which time didn't the Wu army form a formation across the distance? Then they fired 3 rounds of artillery and 3 rounds of musketry.

Zheyong, who came after hearing the news, stood aside with his eyes squinting.

This is enough!

"They didn't use artillery and muskets to attack you?"

"Brother Ma, we were just a hair away! When the fierce battle was in full swing, we were charged by Wu's cavalry. They only had a few hundred cavalry, and then they were defeated and fell like a mountain. Alas."

The defeated Guizhou Green Camp fled to Sanjiangkou Town in one breath.

This was a wild and optimistic time, and getting sick was nothing compared to death and hunger. As the saying goes: Except for death, everything is trivial!

Wang was so angry that he coughed.

……

"Oh? Brother Wang, please tell me about the war process?" Ma Zhongyi raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Moreover, Jiangxi and the two lakes have always been the hardest-hit areas, accounting for at least 8% of the cases in the entire south!
Zheng He'an didn't know the severity and couldn't get rid of the habit of drinking raw water.

Zhou Xifa glanced at this unkind colleague angrily and said:

Everyone was obedient. After all, 40 blows of the military stick were quite powerful and painful!
outside the toilet,
There were soldiers holding gourds and gourds, and when someone came out, they would pour water and wash their hands.

"Correct."

You can imagine how many people in the army are like him. I think it’s silly to drink water that has been boiled and then cooled! Waste of fuel, waste of time, unnecessary effort.

"The silver reward must be in place, and the wine and meat must also be in place."

"Your Majesty, don't worry. The merit examination personnel accompanying the army are already doing the work."

After some explanation,
The big stone in Ma Zhongyi's heart rose a few feet higher, and the hair on his back stood up.

"Master Wang, Master Zhou, did you lose or win?"

Asked eagerly:
"You mean, the false king of Wu sent tens of thousands of soldiers to fight with you?"

"How is the military morale?"

This is just a small episode!

This battle proved the feasibility of forming a cold weapon line-filling army.

Wang Shenglie glanced at him resentfully, grabbed the tea on the table and drank it so hard that his lungs were about to explode.

"Only a few of them were used by Wu Jun's troops to intimidate deserters. I found that their fighting methods are quite similar to our officers and soldiers. There must be many green battalions in the puppet King Wu's army."

Schistosomiasis - a terrible parasitic disease widespread in the South.

Ma Zhongyi was slightly surprised and then greeted his two embarrassed colleagues.

"Your Majesty, more than 1 people of the 500st Expeditionary Force died in this battle, more than 200 people were seriously injured, and more than 300 people were slightly injured. The supervising team executed 52 people."

Ma Zhongyi and Zhe Yong looked at each other, full of doubts in their hearts.

In the past six months, they had many battles with Wu Junying on a large scale.

"They organized a team to supervise the battle and shot their own people with muskets."

However, under the deterrence of the military law team,

……

"is it?"

At least no one in the camp took it seriously.

As long as the supply of soldiers and armor keeps up, daily training keeps up, and military laws are implemented in place, it is possible to defeat the Green Camp soldiers.

Li Yu nodded and left the artillery and muskets unused, letting the cannon fodder charge with shotguns and bows. It was strange that there were no complaints.

"Where's the artillery?"

……

If the numbers of both sides are close, it would be a loss of armor. A battle loss ratio of 20 to 1 is normal.

In the words of Zhe Yong:

It's like a rabbit that is finally chased away.

"Thank you for your hard work, you two. Take a good rest. Our Sanjiangkou Town is well-defended, has sufficient food and fodder, and is impregnable."

"Brother Ma, is there a silver reward for this head?"

Ma Zhongyi smiled inwardly and frowned:
"I've heard about the bounty offered by the gentry of this province. But you can't even meet the standards for receiving a silver reward on your head."

"However, we killed at least one or two thousand Wu troops~"

"Let's do this. As the commander-in-chief of Southern Gansu Province, I can give you a personal certificate. I can't let the guest soldiers bleed and shed tears."

"Thank you, Brother Ma."

Wang Shenglie and Zhou Xifa were very moved, and their eyes were red.

After losing tens of thousands of brothers, if we still can't earn the reward, this battle will be a huge loss.

Don't be afraid of people in dead spots, because even if people die, your troops will still be there.

To put it more bluntly, the silver reward belongs to the officer, and the supplementary amount comes from the royal court. As long as there is pay, recruiting soldiers is easy. Many mountain people have no other alternative but to become soldiers.

……

"Below the city of Nanchang, the Guizhou army made a small victory. Beheaded the Wu army for 2000~"

The Jiangxi gentry was not harsh and immediately took out 20000 taels of cash and a hundred pigs and sheep. After all, they had the witness of the province's general soldier.

To put it bluntly, it is not the time to treat the visiting soldiers harshly.

If they offend these Qiu Ba gang and return home, the Jiangxi people will have to fight against the sharp-gunned Wu army.

if that is the case,

It was only a matter of time before the entire province fell. Although everyone shouted loudly, they were all clear-eyed in their hearts.

"Brother Ma, thank you for your generosity."

"Hey, it should be."

A few days later,
Sanjiangkou Town welcomed the second wave of reinforcements, 2 Guangxi chieftain soldiers, commonly known as wolf soldiers.

Looking at these cheerful, dark and fierce guys with bare feet and straw sandals, Ma Zhongyi felt a little more secure.

As usual, he socialized with the chieftain and gained another brother.

The chieftains of Guangxi have actually been converted to local status and are basically respectful.

The truly powerful separatist forces were the Yunnan chieftains, who were relatively unruly.

……

Everyone gathered in Sanjiangkou Town with the same goal - to rescue Nanchang (to earn money).

However, Ma Zhongyi is more pessimistic about the current situation.

The imitation Zambalak matchlock that he reported to the court and asked for replacement has not yet arrived.

Governor Wu Zhicheng also wrote a letter asking the court for permission to build another artillery factory in southern Jiangxi to build 1 muskets and 300 artillery pieces. The letter has not yet received a reply.

Anyway,

After this period of war, everyone has become deeply aware of one thing.

We must rely on more common and better firearms to fight against the Wu army to have any chance of winning.

"Old Zhe, I have a secret I want to tell you. Because you are a smart person, and you are different from the simple-minded guys outside."

"You are right, Old Ma. There are not many Mongolians on the grassland today who know strategy like me!"

Ma Zhongyi lowered his voice:
"I have a bad intuition. The fake King Wu is digging a hole again."

"Brother, analyze it quickly."

"We fought against the Wu army before, and every time we fought with guns and cannons. This time they actually used soldiers to fight the Guizhou Green Camp. What does this mean?"

"It means they are out of gunpowder."

……

Ma Zhongyi looked at his good brother's big face and small eyes, and was speechless for a moment. The lack of gunpowder seems to make sense.

However, he still prefers that the other party is digging a hole.

"Old Zhe, let's just say that just in case, just in case the false king of Wu is using Nanchang as bait to attract armies from all walks of life to gather together, then catch them all in one fell swoop, and push them into the river to feed the fish."

"What's his appetite? Can he eat it?"

"Huh, that's what Vice-Capital Commander Qizheng thought when he was at Hukou. As a result, he was defeated in one battle. Li Yu is like an eagle on the grassland. Look at him wandering around in the sky without swooping down for a long time. . But once he sees the right opportunity, he dares to attack the wolf. "

"Hao Anda, tell me, what should we do?"

"Collect the ships, send troops to guard them, and leave a way out."

Regarding this war,

Jiangxi gentry is eagerly waiting that the autumn wedding in the second half of the year can be held as scheduled in Nanchang City, and everyone's descendants will have a bright future.

The rural examination is coming soon.

If you really can't take back Nanchang, you will have to go to Guangzhou to take the exam.

……

However, the Wu army temporarily united their forces.

The 2nd Army retreated 20 miles northwest and arrived at the foot of Nanchang City to join forces with the 4th Army.

The Qing army in Nanchang City was even more frightened.

The lights on the city wall stayed on all night, and patrols were dispatched intensively.

Governor Wu Zhicheng mobilized tens of thousands of strong men to help defend the city, and sent many messengers to risk their lives out of the city to ask for help. They requested the officers and soldiers in Wuchang, Beijing, and southern Jiangxi to send troops quickly to relieve the siege.

Ma Zhongyi has experienced the influence of the spring breeze in the south of the Yangtze River and the tempering of the ice and snow outside the pass. His whole person is more ruthless and smooth than before.

He was convinced from the bottom of his heart that Nanchang City was a bait!
But he didn't say anything and let the reinforcements from the provinces step into the trap, so that if the army was defeated, they could shirk responsibility.

In the Qing Dynasty, the price of telling the truth was high!
"Master, are we still recruiting troops?"

"Recruit! Recruit soldiers boldly!"

Ma Zhongyi has been privately recruiting troops in the southern Gansu defense zone during this time. It can be described as audacious.

Without the approval of the Ministry of War, he created various excuses, such as filling casualty vacancies, recruiting heavy civilian laborers, and replenishing the inspection departments of various county government officials.

……

"Liu Lu, you have followed me through all these years, have you figured out any truth?"

House slave Liu Lu was stunned for a while and whispered:

"There were not many good officials in the Qing Dynasty."

Ma Zhongyi laughed dumbly, pointed at him and said:
"Slave dog, what you said is very good. I have finally realized that you must have skill and scheming when doing things for the imperial court. On my behalf, go and talk to the gentry in Jianchang Prefecture, Fuzhou Prefecture, and ask for money."

Liu Lu frowned:

"Master, you currently have more than 6000 regular soldiers under your command, and you have recruited more than 8000 new soldiers. We will have to pay for all the extra pay and weapons, I'm afraid~"

"It's okay. People will die in the war. After fighting a few battles and leaving only the elite, the burden will be light."

Ma Zhongyi looked calm. Human lives are just numbers.

His goal is to achieve military success!
You must be loyal to the emperor, but not too rigid in your methods, be flexible and bold, and take the wrong approach. In short, I will never be kicked out to eat in the wind and snow outside the customs again.

……

Ganjiang River.

Two Susong-class battleships passed by leisurely.

Liu Wu stood on the deck and observed the Nanchang city defense through a telescope.

Half an hour later,

He appeared in Li Yu's tent.

"Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Liu Wu pays homage to Your Majesty."

"Get up. It's hot. Let's drink some mung bean soup."

After a bowl of mint and mung bean soup, I feel much cooler.

Liu Wu cupped his hands and said:
"I have military information to report."

"speak."

"Daily monitoring by sailors found that the depth of the Gan River has increased by 10 foot compared with 1 days ago. The water flow rate in the river has also increased, and it seems that the flood season is approaching."

"Oh? Is that normal?"

Liu Wu hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth and said:

"I asked the local sailors and they felt it was abnormal."

"Oh?" Li Yu stopped looking at the reports of less rain and drought in the three prefectures of Susong Lake.

"They say that when water floods upstream in the mountainous areas of southern Jiangxi, it happens downstream."

"You mean there will be a flood?"

"I can't tell you."

……

Li Yu handed it to him smoothly:
"This is a report from the Agriculture Department. There is little rain in Jiangnan this year, and the spring grain output will definitely be lower than in previous years."

Liu Wu briefly glanced at it.
He sighed:
"God's temper is unpredictable."

"Yes! It's a pity that the people from the Intelligence Agency did not go deep into southern Gansu. We currently lack intelligence support and it is difficult to make a decision."

There was silence in the tent,

After a while, Liu Wu reported the second thing.

"Although Nanchang City is adjacent to the Gan River, it underwent an adjustment during the Hongwu period. The entire southwest city wall was retracted 2 miles towards the land, and it was difficult for the Navy's ship-based guns to pose a sufficient threat."

"No one knows this. What if we sail into the moat from Ganjiang River and bombard Zhangjiang Gate from the southwest?"

"The Nanchang defenders sank five cannons loaded with stones six months ago, blocking the entrance to the river. Small boats with hundreds of materials could barely pass, but our warships could not navigate."

Li Yu nodded silently.

"There is nothing to worry about in Nanchang. We just have to wait and see when reinforcements from the Qing Army arrive at Sanjiangkou Town. After encircling and annihilating the reinforcements from 4 provinces, Nanchang can be defeated at any time."

The heavy siege artillery equipped by the Wu army can theoretically destroy most cities, especially cities adjacent to large rivers.

……

Hunan Green Camp reinforcements of 5000 troops have entered Linjiang Prefecture.

Guangxi and Yunnan Green Camp reinforcements of 2 troops have just arrived in Ji'an Prefecture.

The Khalkha and Erut cavalry were stationary in Wuchang. Agui returned to the capital according to the order. No one dared to take the initiative without authorization. Everything was waiting for official documents from the Ministry of War.

……

The wait was long and logistically challenging.

The Wu Army General Staff Headquarters organized a large number of civilian ships to transport grain and grass from Nankang Prefecture and Raozhou Prefecture, and crossed Poyang Lake to supply the army from Fuhe River.

The Qing army passed through the upper reaches of the Gan River, and the gentry came forward to raise grain and grass and send it down the river.

Fengcheng County is the closest to Sanjiangkou Town and bears the greatest pressure on grain and grass.

The magistrate became ruthless and demanded that all the people under his control, except the necessary rations for the month, be confiscated for military needs. As a result, nearly a hundred miles of area became a no-man's land, and people fled one after another.

Between Nanchang City and Sanjiangkou Town, scout cavalry from both sides appeared, and small-scale fighting occasionally occurred.

Wu's cavalry was not skilled in riding and was not equipped with bows and arrows. Their main weapons were muskets and cavalry knives.

The Chahar horse team has superb riding skills and is equipped with scimitars and riding bows.

When the two sides fight, it is often half a pound to eight ounces.

Wu Jun relied on the advantage of firearms to win the first round, and then the Chahar cavalry relied on their skillful riding and shooting skills to regain the round.

Later, both parties reached a tacit consensus! As long as they don't appear within 10 miles of the camp, everyone should stop fighting and just conduct their own investigations.

……

A guard opened the curtain:

"Your Majesty, someone from Suzhou Mansion is here."

"Ok?"

The visitor knelt down on one knee:

"Long live your Majesty, this is the queen's message of good news."

"Oh? What's the happy news?"

The letter exuded a faint fragrance and had a red ribbon attached to it. Li Yu opened it with a smile.

Instantly happy.

"~ I congratulate Your Majesty. The country is very fortunate and has a long line of heirs. Concubine Jie is already pregnant for one month, and Concubine Yang is pregnant again and is pregnant for nearly two months. In addition, I sent someone to escort Sima Shang, my old man, to the front of the army. The camp may help His Majesty conquer Jiangxi."

(End of this chapter)