Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 413 The thief Wu hasn’t even shown up yet, and the Cantonese are already starting to make trouble?

Huaian City.

Governor Fu Chang'an summoned Liu Huangtong, a native of Luzhou, who had escaped the net of the Huaixi New Army.

"Greetings to the governor."

"Get up and serve tea. Your new army fought very tenaciously. Even though you were defeated, it is still an honor."

"Thank you for the compliment, Governor. It's my duty as a soldier to eat food."

Liu Huangtong still had a bandage on his arm and was shot while swimming. In the end, only more than 300 people followed him to Huai'an Prefecture.

……

Although Fu Chang'an suffered a great defeat,
But he quickly adjusted his mindset and, under the instigation of his staff,

First, half of the responsibility for the defeat was put on Hailancha, and the remaining half was put on the fact that the Wu bandits' guns were too powerful.

"The defeat in battle is not the fault of the general, but the result of inferior weapons to the enemy."

The ending was as he expected - he made up for his crime with merit.

Those bastards in Beijing won't take over this mess.

Even if Qianlong wanted to depose and exile him, the elders of that group would rush to speak well of him.

Recognized by the aristocracy:
The hard bones will be left for the Fucha family to chew.

……

Fu Changan calmed down and stared into Liu Huangtong's eyes.

He asked suddenly:

"But I heard that many members of the Huaixi New Army survived and surrendered to Wu Zetian and were incorporated into Wu Zetian's Second Corps. Is this true?"

Liu Huangtong put down the teacup, his face calm:

"Reply to the governor, this is a rumor."

"Ok?"

"I witnessed it firsthand. Fifty thousand brothers from northern Anhui fought against Wu's army. Only some died in battle, and no one surrendered."

Fu Changan's eyes are sharp:
"You are responsible for what you say."

"I swear to heaven that I will never lie!"

……

Fu Changan was instantly relieved and said with a smile:

"Okay, okay. I will promote you to the position of Deputy General of Luzhou, second rank."

Goshkha immediately brought a tray with a brand new official robe, official seal, and hat on it.

Liu Huangtong knelt down and kowtowed, his arms trembling slightly with excitement.

"I would like to thank the governor for his kindness and the court for its generosity."

Fu Changan sat on the top.
Nodding with satisfaction:

"My Qing dynasty values ​​military merit the most. When you go to Luzhou, work hard and make a name for yourself on the battlefield. In the future, you can be promoted based on your military merits, and it won't be a problem for you to become a general or admiral."

"Whoo."

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. The Luzhou Green Camp is slack and unusable. You go there to recruit new soldiers. I'll ask the Ministry of War for 3000 soldiers, 2000 matchlock rifles, and 1000 sets of swords, spears, and rattan shields."

Liu Huangtong recovered from his joy and asked:

"What about the brothers you brought back from Yangzhou?"

"You can arrange the officers and soldiers at all levels in Luzhou Camp by yourselves. Just submit the names of the officers afterwards, and I will approve them all."

……

the next morning,

Liu Huangtong brought more than 300 of his men to the gate of the governor's office, knelt down together, and then left Huai'an.

Also accompanying him were a team of Eight Banners soldiers and 10 taels of silver.

Recruiting soldiers requires money.

These 10 taels were the starting capital for the new Luzhou army.

Fu Chang'an detained 21 gentry families in Huai'an City on the charge of their relatives collaborating with the enemy, leaving only 8 families in silence.

The Qing court was particularly good at confiscating property.

I have been using this method to solve problems since I started out as an old slave.

Qianlong was even better at this.

Fu Changan naturally also learned some skills.

The wealth of 21 gentry families alleviated the urgent need for Huai'an city defense.

Before the arrival of Qianlong's "Four Methods to Suppress Bandits", Fu Chang'an had already begun practicing the Turtle Skill, with bastions and trenches scattered around.

As soon as the letter arrived,
He slapped his head and shouted, why did he forget Jinchuan's move?
Battle fortress~
The little Jinchuan relied on this thing to disgust the Qing Dynasty for decades.

now,

The situation is ever-changing, so you can use your own tactics to defeat your enemy.

Practice, practice hard.

If 1 are not enough for conscription of corvée labor, then recruit 5.

Our Qing Dynasty lacks everything except people.

……

The Qing army was frantically building fortifications, and coincidentally, the Wu army in Yangzhou city was doing the same.

After surveying the terrain, officials from the Architectural Services Department quickly came up with blueprints and plans!
Forts were built along the Grand Canal and small bastions were built around Yangzhou City.

The 4th Army entered Yangzhou.

The soldiers lived in the former Green Camp barracks, which had been slightly renovated.

The officers moved into vacant houses whose original owners had either been executed or left voluntarily because they did not want to cut their braids.

Looking down from the Kaiyuan Temple Tower, you can’t find a single braid in the whole of Yangzhou!
Commander-in-Chief Huang Si couldn't help but sigh:

Your Majesty has farsightedness and foresight.

Using "cutting braids" to judge people's hearts is a cruel method but it does not harm the harmony of nature.

Don't kill people, just destroy their hearts.

After their queues were cut off, the people could no longer waver and had to support the State of Wu.

Once the Qing army returned and surrounded Yangzhou, the 4th Corps could defend the city with peace of mind without having to worry about any trouble inside the city.

If you don't cut your braids,

There might be someone colluding with the outside world or secretly providing intelligence to the Qing army.

A "voluntary braid-cutting order" accurately eliminated all hostile elements and wavering elements.

……

Today, the city has 22 residents, which is still too many.

Huang Si decided to continue evacuating half of the people to reduce food pressure.

Anyone who voluntarily evacuates can settle in Chongming.

The government promised to preserve their ancestral houses and provide them with at least 3 mu of land per person in Chongming, on the condition that the land would remain as long as the people were there, and the land would not be lost if the people moved away.

Out of fear of the unknown of war, many people moved.

18st century,

The environment of Chongming Island is much worse than that of Yangzhou, mainly due to typhoons, tidal backflow and waterlogging.

There are many abandoned lands and even more saline-alkali lands.

The countermeasure is to build seawalls and dig and dredge a tic-tac-toe river network that can drain water quickly.

Li Yu ordered people to provide metal tools, farming implements, seeds, and cement to these 10 people. With the on-site guidance of the Water Conservancy Bureau, it was only a matter of time before Chongming became a mature farm.

All this trouble was done in order to cooperate with the Wu State's strategy - "first south, then north".

First conquer the area south of the Yangtze River, then march north!
……

Ganzhou Prefecture.

The wind was cold and the sky was leaden gray.

Although Jiangxi is in the south, the Poyang Lake Plain in the north is a large open area, which does not block the cold wind from Siberia at all.

on the city wall,
Two soldiers on guard stood in a sheltered place, looking at the ruins of the city walls and talking in low voices.

"I don't know when the cotton coat will be delivered."

"Soon. I heard from the quartermaster that it will be delivered in 10 days at the latest."

"That's fine. As long as it doesn't snow, this outfit will still hold up."

Actually,
The fleet departing from the three prefectures of Suzhou and Songjiang has arrived at Poyang Lake, but the four-month suspension of navigation on the Ganjiang River has caused great trouble to the fleet.

At first, they hired trackers.
After sailing upstream for dozens of miles, the ship owners decisively gave up and switched to land transportation.

The transportation of tens of thousands of cotton military coats and quilts is heavy and will take time from Nanchang to Ganzhou.

As the saying goes, no matter how much you plan, there will always be something you miss.

That's pretty much it.

There were no people from Jiangxi in the General Staff Headquarters, so they were not very familiar with the hydrological characteristics of the Ganjiang River.

……

Miao Youlin, the commander-in-chief of the Fifth Army Corps, had no intention of waiting for this batch of winter supplies. He handed a secret letter to the messenger:

"Make sure you deliver it personally to General Wu Simai of the Light Cavalry Corps in Nanchang."

"As ordered."

The messenger took it with both hands, put it into the waterproof bamboo tube on his back, and turned away.
The number of soldiers of the 5th Corps assembled in Ganzhou Prefecture gradually increased, and the total strength exceeded 6000.

The time is ripe!
Miao Youlin summoned all officers and announced his attack order:

"I have decided to give up chasing the remnants of Nangan Town who have entered the mountains. The main force of the army will march southwest, cross Dayu Ridge, break through Mei Pass, and capture Nanxiong Prefecture."

"Everyone, do you have any questions? Ask them now."

The officers were in a frenzy.
Then someone asked:

"Commander-in-chief, are you bringing the cannon?"

"Of course! And take all the 12-pounders that belong to the regiment."

"Commander-in-chief, how do we arrange for the food and fodder needed by the army?"

"Take all the portable dry food with you, and collect some military rations from the surrounding prefectures. After that, we will have dinner in Nanxiong Prefecture."

"Commander-in-chief, will the Qing army launch a surprise attack in Nangan Town?"

"I couldn't ask for more. I wish he could jump out of his tortoise shell so I don't have to go into the mountains to look for him."

"Commander-in-chief, our army's cotton-padded clothes and quilts have not yet been delivered."

"No need to wait. Our army will not need warm cotton clothes after crossing the Nanling Mountains. Guangdong is definitely warmer than Jiangxi. Okay, everyone, are you confident?"

"Have!"

The officers roared, and the temperature in the room suddenly rose.

……

Guangzhou City,
There are still a lot of people walking around and it is very lively.

The cessation of trade with one port did not seem to affect the vitality of the city.

In fact, relevant practitioners have been forced to change their careers and have no time to lament. They turn their sorrow into pressure and work hard to earn three meals a day.

On the contrary, the governor and the governor were quite worried.

"Governor Zhao, I heard that you have sent another batch of governors to the countryside to suppress the rioters?"

"Humph, a bunch of unruly people, gathering their clans to resist taxes and grain. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I caught the main culprits and cut off a few heads to make an example of them."

The Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Yi Erhang, nodded.

He sighed:
"The Qing dynasty has been established for more than a hundred years, but Guangdong and Guangxi are still wavering and harboring evil intentions."

"In my opinion, they should be killed. They killed too few people."

Zhao Shisheng's fair face turned red and his words were a little inappropriate, showing none of the elegance and grace he had once possessed as a Hanlin Academy scholar.

He was angry.

Guangzhou Prefecture governs Hua County.
The villagers gathered more than a hundred people and openly blocked the road to prevent the yamen runners from entering the village.

……

Haifeng County and Lufeng County under the jurisdiction of Huizhou Prefecture were even more impressive. 36 clans jointly submitted a letter to the county government.

They say the harvest was not good this year.

The foreign merchant ships stopped coming and business came to a halt.

Now the major clans are poor and cruel. If the county dares to demand grain, they will be left with no way to survive.

The previous debts cannot be paid.

I guess we won’t be able to pay the taxes and grain for next year.

The magistrate was so frightened after reading the post that he immediately sent people to the provincial capital for help.

To know,
Some clerks and bailiffs in the county government also have the support of their clans.

If these local clans were determined to cause trouble, it is estimated that someone on duty would secretly open the city gates to welcome Grandpa and his clansmen into the city for a midnight snack.

……

Yi Erhang sympathetically handed Zhao Shisheng a cup of cold tea:
"Sit down and calm down. You know that the southerners have always been alienated from the imperial court. The farther they are from the court, the more rebellious they are."

"Governor! The Guangdong Customs has been closed. If we lose the province's taxes again, how will we explain to the court?"

"Don't worry, don't worry. Aren't there still a group of fat pigs in the pen? Kill a few more to meet the urgent need."

Zhao Shisheng rolled his eyes and asked:

"Are you talking about the Thirteen Hong merchants?"

"if not?"

"The governor is wise. Now that the court is in danger, it is time to move them."

Yi Erhang smiled:
"Come on, pass on my military order, and mobilize troops to surround the Pan, Lu, and Xie families. Arrest people and confiscate their homes."

"Yes." A Goshaha received the order respectfully, thought for a moment and asked again, "Sir, what is the charge?"

"The crime of colluding with barbarians."

Ghoshha had just gone out.

He met the Guangdong Navy Admiral Guan Daguan, who was running into the mansion with sweat on his forehead and an anxious look on his face.

"Governor, another foreign ship attempted to invade the Pearl River Estuary, but was repelled by our artillery."

Yi Erhang stood up suddenly, his face serious:

"How many casualties are there?"

"Twenty-three men were killed in the battle at the fort, and seven guns were lost."

"Which country's foreign ship is this?"

"Union Jack, Saxon."

……

Yilhang sat back in his chair silently, calculating in his mind.

"This is the fourth time we've been attacked this month, right?"

Guan Daguan took the cold tea handed to him by the servant, drank it all, wiped his mouth and said:
"The Saxons attacked us four times, the Dutch attacked us twice, the Iberians attacked us once, and a pirate ship of unknown nationality attacked us once. The revenge of the barbarians is becoming more and more frequent."

The three of them were silent, all with bad looks on their faces.

suddenly,

The aide hurried into the palace with a messenger knight.

"Dong Weng, something terrible is happening."

"what happened again?"

"The Green Camp soldiers of Nangan Town, Jiangxi Province abandoned Meiguan, and the Wu bandit vanguard took the opportunity to raid Nanxiong and robbed hundreds of thousands of taels of tax. The prefect of Nanxiong said that the Wu bandit army could cross Dayu Ridge and invade Guangdong at any time."

Wow,
All three of them stood up in shock.

……

Yi Erhang's expression twitched and he cursed:

"Damn Li Ni."

"Damn Ma Zhongyi."

He saw Zhao Shisheng and Guan Daguan staring at him.

He calmed his mind and began to deploy:
"Order the generals of Nanshaolian Town to seize Meiguan. If that is not possible, we should gather troops to defend Shaozhou. We must stop the Wu bandits in northern Guangdong."

"Order the prefects of Nanxiong, Shaozhou, Lianzhou, and Fogang to recruit local soldiers to help defend the city."

"Quickly collect 20 dan of grain from the surrounding areas and transport it to Guangzhou."

"Master Zhao."

"What do you want, Governor?"

"Please personally arrest all the merchants from the Thirteen Hongs and put them in jail. How far this war can go depends on how much military funds Lord Zhao can find."

Zhao Shisheng was dignified and bowed slightly:

"Don't worry, Governor. A loyal minister is needed in times of national crisis. I, Zhao, will personally supervise and will not give these people under you the opportunity to take advantage of the situation. Please also give me a team of flag soldiers to support the battle."

……

As a large number of soldiers left the military camp and the garrisoned Eight Banners cavalry marched out of the city, the bustling market suddenly became deserted.

Everyone is in danger, war is about to begin~
While martial law was still in place, many wealthy families with a keen sense of smell packed up their gold and silver and quickly left the city.

Hard to say,
If a fight breaks out, is it safer in the city or in the countryside?

If the Qing army had the upper hand, the city would definitely be safer.

If the Wu army gains the upper hand, the city will be like hell.

If order in the entire province collapses, it will be hell wherever you escape to.

The long convoy is obviously full of fat sheep. The villagers, mountain bandits, pirates, and gangs all have the motive and ability to eat mutton.

……

The Cantonese people value business, and where business is valued, information is valued.

quickly,

News from the Governor's Office was sold as a commodity by various groups of people, and it was a rare commodity.

The first dealer, the second dealer, the third dealer~
The price drops sharply at each level in the form of cube root, and the scope of spread increases sharply in the form of power.

Huizhou Prefecture is under the jurisdiction of Lufeng County.

Jieshiwei.

This place is connected to Chaozhou in the east and the sea in the south.

A "gathering of heroes" to discuss taking advantage of the chaos to launch an uprising was quietly held here!
The participants included clan leaders from Chaoshan and gang leaders with deep roots in Cantonese.

E.g,

Bigwigs from the Tiandihui, Red Flower Society, Jiaolong Gang, Axe Gang, Tai Chi, Wing Chun and other gangs were all present.

(End of this chapter)