Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 411 If you can't kill the enemy, you can kill your own people

In Wu Jun's sequence,
The 5th Army was formed the shortest time and has the least battlefield experience.

however,
The soldiers' tenacity was beyond Miao Youlin's imagination.

He was once again glad that it was a wise decision for him to leave the 2nd Legion.

The 2nd Corps, which has a strong regional flavor, will never become the Miao Army, but the 5th Corps can.

A blank sheet of paper is good for painting~
The horses advanced slowly,
Miao Youlin held the reins in his left hand, his mind running wild.

……

The three provincial capitals of Ruizhou, Linjiang and Fuzhou have all been captured.

The three vanguards were as brave as tigers, while the Qing troops defending the city were as weak as women with bound feet.

"Order that after the Eastern Army captures Jianchang Prefecture, they should rest and consolidate the city's defenses."

"After the Central Army breaks through Ji'an Prefecture, they will suspend the attack and wait for the main force to converge before attacking Ganzhou and completely annihilating the Nangan Town. Ganzhou is mountainous, so we should advance cautiously and steadily."

"The Western Route Army revised its strategy and will capture every city along the way. First, we will capture the Xinyu County of Linjiang Prefecture, then the Fenyi County of Yuanzhou Prefecture, then the Yuanzhou Prefecture, and finally the Pingxiang County."

"Tell the three commanders that time is of the essence and time is military merit. Before the Spring Festival, the Fifth Army will present a complete Jiangxi to Your Majesty as a gift."

The messenger quickly wrote it down on paper and was about to leave.

Miao Youlin stretched out his hand:

"Wait a minute, add an infantry battalion and a light artillery company to the Western Route Army. Tell the commander to be careful of the White Lotus Zhang Liyong bandit group entrenched in Wugong Mountain, and wipe them out as soon as possible~"

……

"Commander-in-chief, what should we do with the dozens of counties?"

"Let's pass the order and leave this task to our friendly forces."

The main force of the Light Cavalry Corps was stationed in Nanchang, and only one company was sent to accompany them.

"Second Lieutenant Wu Laoer, I greet the commander-in-chief."

"Your army should send a proclamation to all counties in the Poyang Lake Plain. Once the army arrives, they must surrender immediately. If they dare to resist, they will be massacred."

"As ordered."

Today, Wu Laoer is capable and smart, and there is no trace at all that he used to be a timid farmer in Pengze County.

"Brothers of the Cavalry Company, mount your horses~"

The horses' hooves flew, leaving behind billowing dust, which attracted the curses and envy of the infantrymen.

Wu Laoer silently pulled up the mask.

In the beginning,
The cavalrymen were initially disgusted by this iconic decoration of bandits, but later they found it to be quite good.

Dustproof, windproof, and sun-proof.

After all, humans are not made of iron, and long-term marches help maintain their combat effectiveness.

……

The highest ranking military judge in the 5th Army Corps, the captain, asked in a low voice when no one was around:

"Commander-in-chief, are you really going to massacre the city?"

"Yes, if there are those who really resist to the end, I will massacre the entire city to serve as a warning to others."

"Let the Fifth Army massacre the city?"

"Of course, the dirty work will be left to the 1st Expeditionary Corps."

"Yes."

The captain military judge withdrew silently.

According to Wu Jun military regulations, he had no right to interfere with any decision made by the commander and could only witness and record it.

obviously,
Miao Youlin had no intention of paying any attention to him.

……

Miao's consistent principles are:
It is better to be revered than to be loved.

He dared to order the killing of prisoners in Jiangbei, and now he dares to order the massacre of the city.

The flaws do not outweigh the merits.

As long as we can take Jiangxi before the Chinese New Year, and put the cannons at Meiguan, we can ensure that the New Year's cannons will be deafening and make the Cantonese people lose their appetite.
Thinking of this,

Miao Youlin urged his horse to run up a slope where the troops were marching.

Lema shouted:

"The Fifth Legion shall win. Win."

The soldiers passing by were infected by it and shouted "Victory".

……

Similarly, there is another person who is struggling to save time.

Ma Zhongyi, the Governor of Jiangxi and General of Nangan Town.

He was wearing a helmet and armor. Standing on the top of Ganzhou City, overlooking the busy scene~
Thousands of laborers were ordered to transport supplies westward into the mountains, pulled by mules or carried on shoulders.

Looking into the distance,

The surrounding mountains are endless.

Ganzhou City is like a bean at the bottom of a pot, surrounded by mountains on all sides.

"Reporting to the governor, Wan'an County and Taihe County have been plundered, and the brothers in Wan'an Camp are supervising the boatmen to transport the boats south."

"Boost!"

"Whoo."

Half an hour later,
Liu Lu came back and whispered:

"Master, the wealthy families in Longnan, Changning and Xinfeng counties have almost all moved away."

……

Ma Zhongyi looked at him calmly.

Liu Lu understood immediately and nodded heavily to indicate that the matter had been settled and he should not worry.

One master and one servant,
Standing on the city wall, he dismissed his attendants and began to speak his mind.

"The situation is rotten, rotten to this extent. Alas~"

"This slave knows."

"We are master and servant in name, but brothers in need in reality. There is nothing we cannot talk about. As for the current situation, even gods cannot break it."

"My master is right. Jiangxi cannot be defended."

Seeing that Liu Lu looked a little worried, Ma Zhongyi simply made it clear himself:

"Are you worried that the court will hold you accountable for abandoning the city?"

"Yes."

"It doesn't matter. After the court is outraged, they will realize how wise I, Ma, am. I helped the court preserve the last bit of military strength in Jiangxi."

Ma Zhongyi lowered his voice and said, "In troubled times, the most important thing is to have soldiers, especially elite soldiers. We men rely on these soldiers to survive."

"Please take the trouble to check our food and fodder camps in Bamianshan, Jiulianshan, and Zhuguangshan to see if there are any loopholes. Once you enter the mountains, supplies are the people's hearts."

"I know the pros and cons."

……

Looking at the loyal Liu Lu's back as he left.

Ma Zhongyi let out a long sigh. These days there are too few brothers with whom he can confide.

Chahar governor Zheyong, who had a good relationship with the emperor, was transferred to Changsha by a transfer order from the Ministry of War.

Although he had a large number of deputy generals, lieutenant generals, and guerrillas under him,
There may be few people who can be trusted, and even fewer who are capable.

The number of Ma's army soldiers fluctuated between 1 and 1, and they also took tens of thousands of young men into the mountains.
Relying on this group of people to fight against the Wu army?
It would be better to send people over to negotiate the terms of surrender while the number of troops exceeds 10,000.

Thinking of this,

Ma Zhongyi couldn't help but think of a possibility.
If I had given Li Yu the green light when I was the prefect of Suzhou, created all kinds of conveniences and indirectly aided the enemy, would I also be a minister there now?

Ma Zhongyi didn’t know whether the final winner would be the Aisin-Gioro family or the Li family.

But he knows,
If you don't have a capable army under your command, you will not be respected anywhere.

Even if one day I surrender to Wu, I will have to inflict heavy damage on the Wu army on the battlefield, cut off my braids and surrender, only then can I get the glory and security I want.
……

"Everything is determined by fate, and no one has any control over it."

After expressing his feelings, he reached out and called a master:
"Are there any deficiencies in our preparations for entering the mountain? Before the Wu thieves come to kill us, we should quickly check and fill in the gaps."

The master hesitated for a moment and muttered:
"woman."

Ma Zhongyi was stunned, then nodded slowly:

"Yes, young woman! Send out the town flag to sweep all the brothels and capture all the prostitutes. If that's not enough, capture some women who have given birth."

"what?"

Now it's Master's turn to be dumbfounded~
Then he reacted.

Ganzhou Prefecture and Nan'an Prefecture suffered great damage, and the Qing army was brutal and cruel.

Gold, silver, grain, cloth, salt, oil, weapons, gunpowder, livestock, seeds, farm implements, tools, pots and pans, copper, iron, lead, charcoal, medicinal materials, soldiers, young and strong men, women, and craftsmen.

Search everything.

The mountains are like black holes, absorbing huge amounts of resources.

……

Something happened that neither side expected.

Officials from the counties of Linjiang, Fuzhou, Jianchang, Ji'an and Ningdu abandoned their cities and fled.

3% surrendered to Wu, and 7% fled south with the seal.

Those who escaped felt that the war situation was so bad that defending the city was obviously too difficult.

If everyone loses the city, it means that no one has lost the city.

The law does not punish everyone. However,
Ma Zhongyi, who did not play by the rules, ordered the arrest of dozens of officials of rank 7 and below.

They were all beheaded for the crime of "losing the city", and the gold, silver, valuables and beautiful women they carried with them when they fled were confiscated.

then,

With a stroke of his pen, he reported it to the court.

He thought that not only would Qianlong not be angry, but he would also praise him for killing these insects.

After writing the last word of the fold,

Ma Zhongyi carefully dried the ink, folded it and sealed it, and said to himself:
“Killing the enemy does not necessarily take place on the battlefield.”

……

Confrontations and fights continued.

There was war in southern Jiangxi.

Before the arrival of Wu's army, the local uprising army revived again. They fought a tragic and bloody battle with the Green Camp soldiers in Nangan Town, but had few victories and many defeats.

The rebel army in Xingguo County even occupied the county seat for a time.

The anger of the people in southern Jiangxi had been suppressed to the extreme. They picked up hoes and sickles and fought with the idlers who went to the countryside to collect grain and lead pigs.

after that,

They also fought with the Green Camp soldiers who came after hearing the news.

Although the fighting capacity of the Green Camp soldiers was questionable, they were still not something the farmers could defeat.

Everywhere I go,
There were so many people killed that their heads kept rolling.

Firearms and crossbows fire a round first, then stab with spears.

……

at last,

Ma Zhongyi realized that he had little time left, so he gritted his teeth and issued an order to retreat and destroy.

The soldiers set fire to the city in an organized manner.

The capital cities of Ganzhou and Nan'an were set on fire, and the fire, driven by the wind, almost burned half of the city to the ground.

3 days later,

The main force of Wu's army arrived and was stunned by the ruined Ganzhou City.

Large numbers of homeless hungry people stood outside the city, their eyes filled with despair and sadness.

Miao Youlin cursed angrily:
"The damn Ma Zhongyi fell into my hands and I skinned him alive."

"Send scouts into the mountains to track them down. Don't let any Qing troops escape."

Anyway,

The people in southern Jiangxi suddenly turned to the State of Wu.

When it comes to immorality, the Qing Dynasty has always been far ahead, and Li Yu could not reach the bottom line of the Qing Dynasty even if he gritted his teeth.

……

Five graduates from the civil service school entered Ganzhou with mixed feelings.

I found an ownerless house and put up a sign.

White background, red lacquer characters:

Dawu, Ganzhou Prefecture, Jiangxi Province.

The more difficult it is, the more you can see each person's abilities.

The next day,

The new civil servants, with pistols and swords hanging from their waists, went to the countryside with a few followers.

When I was studying at the Civil Service School,

They are often told:
What you hear may be false, what you write down may be false, but what you see with your own eyes may be true.

Use your eyes more and your brain more.

Talk less and listen more.

In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures are called for.

current,

The most difficult task facing the civil servants is to restore order.

The Qing army wreaked havoc in southern Jiangxi, stealing food, burning houses, and filling wells with brutal tactics.

……

Miao Youlin is currently faced with a choice between 2 options:
Go into the mountains to kill the Qing army?

Or break through the Guangdong-Jiangxi border in one breath?

"Reporting to the commander-in-chief, the latest battle report has arrived. Except for Nan'an Prefecture, the 5th Army has controlled all the prefectures in the province. The only counties that are not in my hands are Changning County, Dingnan Hall, Longnan County, and Pingxiang County."

Miao Youlin was stunned.
The first three counties are on the border between Guangdong and Jiangxi. Due to distance problems, they have not been controlled yet.

"What's going on in Pingxiang County?"

"Zhang Liyong's troops in Wugong Mountain controlled the only official road between Pingxiang and Yuanzhou. They collapsed the hillside, causing a landslide, and the Western Route Army was temporarily unable to pass. When our army went to repair it, those people hid in the mountains and fired guns and rolled rocks."

"Where's the gun?"

"The elevation angle is too high to bombard."

"Tell the commander of the Western Route Army to give him another 500 soldiers. If he fails to capture Pingxiang County within half a month, he will go back to being a private first class."

"Yes."

……

The staff also proposed a plan based on the terrain and geography:
All the soldiers scattered throughout Jiangxi were transferred south.

Only one infantry battalion was left in Yuanzhou Prefecture and Fuzhou Prefecture, and one infantry company and one artillery company were stationed in Luxi County, Jianchang Prefecture.

Defend the Hunan and Fujian directions respectively.

The garrisons in other prefectures and counties formed the army heading south. Because southern Jiangxi was devastated and the supply of food and wages was difficult in the short term, it was suggested that after capturing Meiguan, Nanxiong Prefecture in northern Guangdong should also be taken as an outpost base for heading south to Guangdong next year.

Miao Youlin approved it~
"Reporting to the commander-in-chief, the scout platoon that entered the mountain has returned to the camp."

"Let them in."

A warrant officer lowered his head:
"30 of our troops were ordered to go into the mountains for reconnaissance and follow the footsteps of the fleeing enemy. 12 of them are missing, I'm afraid~"

"Nan Gan Town actually dared to ambush in the mountains?"

"It's a pit."

The warrant officer gave a detailed description of a wild boar pit he had nearly fallen into.

The pit is 8 feet deep and 5 feet wide, with accumulated water inside.

There are dozens of sharp bamboo sticks pointing upwards, and there is no chance of survival if someone falls down.

……

Miao Youlin pointed at one of the seriously injured people and asked:

"What's the matter with your injury?"

"Report to the commander-in-chief, he was hit by an arrow from the Qing army."

"Please describe the ambush in detail. How many people did the Qing army send out? What tactics did they use? How much casualties did both sides suffer?"

The wounded scout was embarrassed:

"We were hiking on the trail when a few arrows suddenly flew in from the dense forest on one side. I was the only one injured. We didn't see how many people there were, so we fired a volley of shots into the forest. Seeing that the Qing army didn't react, two brothers sneaked into the forest to check the situation and stepped on the animal traps placed deep in the grass."

……

Miao Youlin suddenly got a headache and his expression was grim.

As a Guizhou native,

He knew too well what it meant to fight in the endless mountains and forests.

There are more than one million hills in Guizhou, and each household can have two mountains.

There are mountains in front of the house, mountains behind the house, and mountains at your feet.

Most of the mountains are "nameless" and are not worthy of a name unless they are majestic, steep and rare. Unlike Jiangsu, every small earthen slope has a name, a story and a temple.

Going into the mountains, like going out to sea, carries three points of risk.

If you are in an unfamiliar mountainous area (sea area), half of your life will be sent to hell as soon as you take the first step.

"You guys should step back first and bandage your wounds."

"Yes."

……

He thought for a long time and decided to submit a memorial to His Majesty:
"Although the battle in southern Jiangxi was not intense, it was the first time our army had fought in the mountains. There are many differences between mountain warfare and plain warfare. I hope the General Staff will pay attention to it."

After finishing writing,
He carefully blew the ink dry, folded the paper into a quarter, rolled it up, and stuffed it into a bamboo tube.

Melt the sealing wax and pour the molten brown liquid onto the seal.

He took out another delicate little seal and pressed it gently against the sealing wax.

Suddenly, clear words appeared - "Presented by the Fifth Legion".

"Someone is coming."

"Send it to your majesty on horseback."

……

Ganzhou Prefecture Prison,
The former prisoners were released on the spot and enlisted in the army. They were all given the 1st Expeditionary Corps without even changing into prison uniforms.

Most of the newly imprisoned prisoners were "former civil and military officials of the Qing Dynasty." They trembled in fear at the sight of the various torture instruments stained with blood on the walls.

Miao Youlin sat upright on the chair and stretched out his left hand and shook it:

"Regarding Ma Zhongyi's entry into the mountains, the deployment of troops, the storage of supplies, the location of the mountain stronghold, and his plans, tell us as much as you know! I have five quotas for survival, including their families."

(End of this chapter)