Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 375 The Intelligence Agency has made another great contribution!
"I lack money and gunpowder, but in the final analysis, what I lack is time."

Li Yu talked to himself.

He summoned the confidential guard again:
"In the past six months, how many foreign ships have come to Jinshanwei to sell saltpeter?"

"Your Majesty, as of half a month ago, the Commerce Department reported that a total of 11 foreign ships came to Jinshanwei to sell saltpeter and sulfur in the past six months. A total of more than 25000 kilograms of saltpeter were received. According to your majesty's instructions, all of them were purchased at double the premium and paid for with tea and silk. But the foreign merchants said that this is already the limit of smuggling, unless they steal the arsenals of the governors of various countries."

……

"understood."

Li Yu waved his hand, and the guards from the confidential office left respectfully.

Raw materials for making black powder:

There is plenty of charcoal.

Sulfur was not a big problem either. Zhejiang merchants' ships sailing from Ningbo to Nagasaki brought back large quantities of high-quality sulfur on every trip.

Fuso country,
At that time, the atmosphere was still quite introverted and conservative, and they only did business with the Dutch and the Qing people.

Sulfur producing areas are all in areas with high incidence of volcanoes.

Therefore, it can be inferred that the islands of Java and Sumatra, which were controlled by the Dutch, also had rich reserves.

But saltpeter is different.

According to foreign merchants, there was only one kingdom in Southeast Asia that possessed considerable saltpeter mines - Myanmar.

Further afield, the Saxon-controlled region of Bengal also produced considerable output.

But the shrewd Saxons guarded the saltpeter mines very strictly, sending most of it back to their homeland for military supplies, almost eliminating smuggling (to combat their colonial counterparts in Southeast Asia).

……

Li Yu shook his head and prepared for things one by one.

First, use the existing gunpowder reserves to defeat the hundreds of thousands of Qing troops in northern Jiangsu and control the two important cities of Yangzhou and Anqing.

The boat sailed to Jiangning.

Li Yu landed in Jiangning City and took a short rest, waiting to meet a mysterious visitor from Jiangbei.

He is Hu Zhihuang, the general of Jiangpu Town.

"Your Majesty, the latest military report is that our army has captured Anqing and is strengthening the city's defenses."

"Well, Zheng Hean lived up to expectations."

Li Yu stood at Yanziji and looked out at the river, feeling quite excited.

The Yanziji Fort has not yet been fully completed.

The main body is a stone wall and concrete building, which is stronger than imagined and could not be destroyed with the Qing army's artillery technology.

The turret has a wide firing angle and a broad field of view.

Wu Jun's artillery has a special feature.

The gun carriage is relatively light and flexible, making it convenient to move short distances and adjust angles and directions.

The gun carriage is made of elm wood, and the wheels are covered with iron sheets. Some vulnerable areas are reinforced with iron nails and rivets.

……

The next day,

Hu Zhihuang secretly boarded a small boat with a confidant under the pretext of going out of town for entertainment.

Jiangxinzhou,
Located outside Jiangning City, in the center of the Yangtze River, it is densely covered with reeds, has low terrain, and is humid and stuffy.

Hu Zhihuang was dressed in casual clothes, bowed his head and bowed, not caring about the mud on the ground.
"Your Majesty, after several years of absence, I finally~"

Hu Zhihuang's eyes were red and he forgot the rest of the words.

I learned it from opera, but when I got excited I threw it all to the beautiful actor.

Li Yu naturally reached out to help him up and exchanged greetings with emotion.

"Brother Hu, to make a long story short, I am going to attack Jiangbei. You are crucial in this battle, you must contribute your strength and your best efforts."

"Your Majesty, rest assured. I will not refuse even if death is the cost."

"well."

The conversation lasted only three quarters of an hour.

First, Hu Zhihuang needs to return to Jiangbei as soon as possible to avoid being exposed.

Secondly, Li Yu felt a little dizzy.

……

After barely supporting himself to send Hu Zhihuang away, Li Yu whispered to the guards:
"Help me into the boat."

The diving board was shaking and if no one was there to hold on, there was a risk of falling into the Yangtze River.

After entering the cabin,
Li Yu just felt stuffy and nauseous, and guessed that he had heatstroke.

Former Liangjiang Governor's Mansion,
Lin Huaisheng asked the guard nervously in a low voice:

"What's wrong, Your Majesty?"

The chief guard of the security department shook his head and said:

"The imperial doctor is inside. Lord Lin, please be patient. I will summon you shortly."

……

As expected,
Li Yu was probably ill. He had been running around in the hot weather for days and had a heat stroke and some wind-heat symptoms.

There are 4 doctors in the General Affairs Office.
There are 2 surgeons and 2 internal medicine doctors. All of them are relatively young and not well-known in the medical community.

After diagnosis and prescription,

They were busy decocting the medicine.

There is a cellar in the Governor's Mansion, and ice is stored in the cellar.

For heat stroke,

Cooling down and relieving symptoms are the key. Otherwise, once the condition worsens, even the gods cannot save it.

"Master Lin, His Majesty summons you."

Lin Huaisheng thought about it.

He took off his sword and threw it to the guard, then quickly walked into the house.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you~"

"sit down."

Li Yu spoke in a low voice, leaning against the side of the couch, his face somewhat pale.

"I am fine, it's alright."

……

Li Yu made a temporary decision to transfer the command of the Jiangbei Campaign to him.

It is not wise to command a crucial battle while being sick.

When leading a large army, the supreme commander needs the physical strength of a top athlete and the memory of a computer.

"Huaisheng, the battle in Jiangbei is of great significance. We can only win and not lose. Even a draw is unacceptable. I don't expect you to annihilate all the hundreds of thousands of Qing troops, but at least you must completely defeat them and inflict huge casualties. You must break the courage of the Qing troops in Jiangbei. From now on, no one will dare to stop my Wu army wherever it goes."

"I understand."

"There is one more thing I need to remind you of. After completely defeating the Qing army, our army needs to seize enough money and food, and the army must not cross the Huai River."

Lin Huaisheng raised his head:
"Do you need to occupy the city?"

"No! We will pursue the enemy and then escort the spoils and retreat. Our army only wants Anqing City, Yangzhou City, and Yizheng County. We will not occupy any other cities."

Li Yu resisted the urge to vomit and asked in a low voice:

"Do you understand why?"

"I understand. The more cities we control, the more troops we will need to station there. This does not fit with our current strategy of taking the south first."

……

Li Yu nodded.

Added a sentence:
"For a relatively long period of time in the future, I hope that the war in Jiangbei will be under control. Limited contact and limited fighting. Strong city bastions and naval artillery will help the Qing army give up its offensive plans."

"I grant you supreme command of the Jiangbei Campaign. You are in charge of all the landing corps, including the navy and the intelligence agency."

"Also, please do not make my illness known to the public."

"I understand."

Lin Huaisheng walked out of the house and looked at the cloudless sky.

Take a deep breath.

He understood how heavy the burden on his shoulders was.

If he lost this battle, he would have no face to come back and would have no choice but to commit suicide.

"Order the 1st Corps to assemble, and have the Jiangning Patrol Division Chief come to see me."

……

Lin Huaisheng deployed his troops and sharpened his swords.

The assembled 1st Corps consisted of a total of 12000 people, excluding more than 600 wounded and sick soldiers. These people were ordered to stay in Jiangning and cooperate with the Patrol Police Station to be responsible for the city defense.

Simultaneously,

The Jiangning Patrol Branch urgently recruited 200 young farmers from the suburbs.

The notice clearly states that the probation period is 3 months, after which the best candidates will be selected. Salaries will be paid during the probation period, and those who are unqualified will only need to return their uniforms.

In addition to the 1st Corps, the 2nd Corps, and the 1st Expeditionary Corps, Li Yu even handed over most of the Guards Corps to Lin Huaisheng.

The logistical pressure is horrible.

The Chief of Staff Tan Muguang, who was accompanying the emperor, did not return to Suzhou with him.

Instead, they temporarily stationed in Jingkou and dispatched logistical supplies across the river.

The fleet's planned crossing route was: Jingkou-Yangzhou Jiangdu.

……

On the boat trip back to Suzhou,

The commander-in-chief of the Light Cavalry Corps, Wusimai, requested a meeting.

Li Yu thought for a moment.

Tell him to keep his 3000 cavalrymen in place, as Jiangnan's military strength is already so depleted that it cannot be further depleted.

Wu Simai also knew what was going on, so he went back obediently.

The light cavalry stationed in Jiangyin and Taicang was the last barrier of river defense.

As the Minister of the Army, Lin Huaisheng
Before crossing the river, an urgent additional order was given to the Patrol Police Station.

All the patrol sub-offices in the prefectures and counties will follow the Jiangning model and recruit 80 to 200 new people.

Issue flintlock rifles to all patrolmen, whether on duty or not.
The deep meaning of this,

Most people couldn't understand it, but a very small number of important officials understood it at a glance.

Economic Minister Fan Jing privately lamented:

"I didn't realize that Old Lin had such an idea. Now that all the troops in Jiangnan have been withdrawn, the prefectures and counties will be caught off guard if there is a change. But if the police force is expanded on a large scale, firstly, the pressure of salary will be great, and secondly, the power held by the Ministry of the Army is too great, which will easily cause criticism. He has a three-month probation period, which allows him to advance or retreat. If there is a change, he can just pull it up to support it. If there is no change, when the battle of Jiangbei becomes clear in three months, these people will be laid off."

After seeing the copy of the document from the Ministry of Army, Li Yu just smiled.

It can be summed up in 6 words:
Temporary worker, probation period.

……

Spring and Autumn Period,

King Fuchai of Wu dug the Hang Canal to connect the Yangtze River and the Huai River.

after that,

It has been continuously repaired and diverted throughout the dynasties.

The beginning and the end remain unchanged, but the route keeps changing.

This is the prototype of the Yangzhou section of the Grand Canal.

Due to gravity,
It is constantly silted up, then blocked and abandoned.

For example, the once prosperous Guazhou Ferry had been inaccessible since the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The section of the Grand Canal entering the river is constantly being abandoned and rebuilt, just like the constant renewal of dynasties on this land.

The essential meaning has not changed.

It was also to connect the Yangtze River and the Huai River and implement the will of the empire.

The derivative effect is that the swampy land of the Lixiahe Plain in Jiangbei has gradually been transformed into thousands of acres of fertile farmland.

……

The main line of the Grand Canal in Yangzhou basically follows one principle, avoiding Gaoyou Lake, Baoying Lake, Baima Lake, Shaobo Lake and Jieshou Lake.

The rivers and lakes must be separated!

A dam should also be built in the middle to prevent the lake water from flooding Caohe River.

A few years ago,
In order to test the Qing government's emergency rescue capabilities, Li Yu organized a major one.

The river gate was dug open to allow the river water to flow back.

As a result, the Yangzhou local government urgently activated the old Yizheng Canal, and dredging it took a long time.

later,

As the situation changed, the Qing government did not invest more funds in the Grand Canal's channel into the Yangtze River.

because,

The grain and money ships from Jiangnan and Huguang no longer go through here.

No matter how well it is repaired, it is just like a pretty woman dressing up for her blind husband, which is useless.

……

but,

Although it has lost its transportation significance, its military defense significance is still very great.

The Qing army built a 1-gun battery on the east side of the river.

During the construction, the Qing army recruited thousands of civilians to build a wooden and stone structure fort on top of the stone and earth. Therefore, the terrain is 2 meters higher than the surrounding area.
The gun was aimed at the river.

It can be said,
Any ship trying to enter the Yangtze River would be destroyed by artillery shells.

Moreover, the warships could not fight back because their guns were all on the sides and the river was narrow, leaving limited room for maneuver.

After Hailancha's inspection,

Two more battalions of archers were added near the artillery position.

The military camps were stationed on the left and right wings to guard the artillery positions.

The purpose of their existence was to prevent Wu's infantry from landing and to remove the artillery batteries from the flank or rear.

Artillery and archers cover each other and can defeat enemies both near and far.

In a word, solid as a rock.

……

On the fort,
Two watchtowers were also set up for overlooking the river.

The bored sentry leaned against the pillar, yawning, and saw the fisherman Chu Bazong carrying a bamboo pole and a bamboo basket and observing the fish situation everywhere.

Chu Bazong, a native of Tongzhou, was originally affiliated with Taizhou Camp in Langshan Town and was in charge of an important transportation route.

As a result, a military order was issued.
He was transferred to the riverside and stationed at the stone gate with a group of soldiers.

The stone gate is one mile upstream from the fort. There are two gates, each separated by another 1 miles.

The significance of this set of gates:

One is to prevent river water from backflowing. In summer, the water level of the Yangtze River is higher than that of the canal.

The second is to facilitate the passage of ships and locks.

This job has no advantages other than being idle.

Just look at Hu Zhihuang who was stationed by Jinji Lake at the time, poor!
Take a fishing rod every day,

Go fishing in Cunshui Bay and take the fish home to satisfy your craving.

……

The routine is always similar.

Mr. Chu has a bad luck today and is out of luck.

Raise your head,
Then I saw that familiar figure passing by in a carriage.

He quickly dropped the bamboo pole and shouted:
"Master Ximen~"

The carriage stopped and the curtain was lifted.

A fat man stuck his head out:
"Captain Chu? I'm going to Shaobo Town to have some fun. Would you like to come with me?"

"Okay, okay."

Chu Bazong was secretly delighted, thinking he could make another profit.

This Mr. Ximen is a good person except for his unpleasant surname.

Generous, magnanimous, and magnanimous.

He runs a large tea shop in Tongzhou and is very wealthy.

We just met for half a month.

The two of them get along better than brothers and get along very well.

Looking at the well-dressed Ximen Daguanren, Chu Bazong felt ashamed. The faint fishy smell on his clothes was really embarrassing.

……

Shaobo Town, located in the northeast of Yangzhou City, is an important place for water and land transportation.

Even though it's just a small town,
But there is everything you can think of, eating, drinking, having fun, and living a life of drunkenness and dreams.

In the Ming and Qing dynasties, Yangzhou was on par with Suzhou and Hangzhou. In terms of extravagant consumption, Yangzhou was perhaps even better.

Mr. Ximen was generous.
I also met a few smart strangers and invited them to join.

They ate Huaiyang cuisine, drank Huadiao wine, listened to folk songs, and had a romantic moment in a brothel. The last step, of course, was to take a bath in a bathhouse.

Yangzhou characteristics~
Take a dip in the hot tub.
Chu Bazong leaned on the bamboo couch and drank tea, feeling deeply moved:
It’s so comfortable, this is what life is like.

But after using up the meager salary to honor superiors, supplement the family income, and provide for three meals a day, the remaining amount was barely enough to fill the gaps in my teeth.

It took me five years to save up 5 taels.

And this little half day,
The official spent 40 taels.

People are more likely to die than others.

You have to throw it away when comparing things.

……

"Old Chu, what are you thinking about?"

"I, I always eat your food and spend your money. I feel ashamed."

Mr. Ximen smiled generously, patted his rich belly, and said:

"Don't be polite, brother. I'll introduce you to a way to make money."

"Really?"

Mr. Chu wanted so much that he wanted to kowtow to the man named Chu on the spot.

Mr. Ximen was different today than usual. He stretched out his legs and pursed his lips.

Chu Bazong handed him the boots with an embarrassed look.

Who would have thought that Mr. Ximen would go too far today.

"I'm drunk and can't bend down. Old Chu, can you give me a hand?"

Although Chu Bazong was reluctant, he still lowered his head and put on the boots.

……

Mr. Ximen put his arm around his shoulders:

"Come on, I'll tell you how to get rich."

A carriage and two horses left the bustling area and headed towards the river.

Two of Ximen Daguanren's strong friends followed him on horseback, like his left and right guards.

suddenly,

One of them knocked on the car window.

"They're coming."

Mr. Chu was confused as to what was coming.

After getting off the car, he was stunned.

In the wilderness,
The old father, mother, wife, and three children stood alone, confused and uneasy, while four burly men stood behind them with their arms folded.

……

(End of this chapter)