Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 418: Snowstorm Cavalry Out! It's Time to Clear the Deal~
The official road from Nanchang Prefecture to Linjiang Prefecture was covered in ankle-deep snow.

A cavalry of 3000 men was marching silently, without raising flags or galloping, and they were carefully controlling the speed of their horses.

Wu Jun Light Cavalry Corps finally set out~
Prepared for the severe cold, the cavalrymen were equipped with thick cotton hats with ear protection, three-layer cotton masks, and halter-neck cotton gloves.

Wu Simai's eyebrows were covered with frost and white air came out of his nostrils.

……

far away,

A small black dot appeared in the vast white field.

The black spot gradually grew larger until it could be seen as a person trudging through the snow.

Call,
Wusimai reined in his horse and raised his right arm to signal the team to stop.

The man finally came within 20 steps.

He took off his hat and scarf and opened his arms to show that he was friendly.

The two guard cavalrymen beside Wusimai carefully rode forward, pulled their hands out of their warm gloves, drew their sabers and stood on guard.

"Maitreya has come down to earth to save all living beings. I am here to meet the general of Wu State on the orders of the Great Protector."

Wusimai frowned:
"Where is Zhang Liyong?"

"The Great Protector has already gone down the mountain with the believers. I hope the general will keep his promise and let us go. Don't go back on your word."

Wu Si Mai thought about it and said something harsh:
"If you dare to cheat, I will give up the encirclement and suppression of Ma Zhongyi's troops and focus on encircling and suppressing you. I will kill you until the last person."

……

The believer said nothing.

Instead, he silently wrapped his scarf and cotton hat around himself, bowed, and quietly disappeared into the wilderness.

Wusimai sneered twice.
I thought, I have a big face, you all think I am honest and simple, right?
Second Lieutenant Wu Laoer of the 10rd Company of the 1st Battalion of the 1st Regiment, who was 3 feet away, muttered:

"This White Lotus demon has a heavy accent."

A non-commissioned officer beside him smiled and said:
"Sir, that guy is from Changsha."

"I often kill people, too."

"I remember that you are from Jiujiang, sir?"

"Can't people from Jiujiang kill people all the time?"

"..."

After the little episode,
The Light Cavalry Corps continued to march slowly.

Snowflakes fell from the leaden sky, softly but firmly.

Who is the enemy and who is the ally, who is the oriole, who is the mantis and who is the cicada, we will only know it when we lift the lid of the pot.

……

Two scouts from Nangan Town were wrapped in white quilts and huddled in a snow cave in the wilderness.

Quietly watching Zhang Liyong's troops march southward~
"Can I go back and report now?"

"hold on."

"What are you waiting for? Look at the winter. Without our material support, thousands of them will freeze to death or starve to death."

"Too."

The two scouts then quietly left the snow cave and returned via the familiar mountain path.

There are many hunters among the soldiers in Nangan Town, and they are familiar with the central and southern sections of the Luoxiao Mountains.

……

The Qing army, well-fed and well-drinking, marched with their heads hunched, wearing boots stuffed with hay to keep warm.

The gates of Chongyi County were closed, and the flag of the Wu State was flying on the gate tower.

The newly appointed military judge and chief of the patrol police department of the county looked livid as they stared at the column of smoke rising in the distance.

"The man with the surname Ma deserves to be cut into pieces."

There are only 50 patrol police in the city and they are inadequately trained.

The same is true for the 200 militiamen under the command of the military judge.

They can defend a city, but they have absolutely no ability to fight in the field.

……

see,

The Qing troops in Nangan Town became more and more daring.

The situation was similar in Shangyou County. The villages outside the county seat had no ability to resist.

The Qing army was ordered to massacre the village and release the evil in their hearts.

The soldiers were getting closer and closer to the beasts, and their fighting power increased significantly.

Ma Zhongyi nodded frequently, quite happy.

"Next stop, the vicinity of Ganzhou Prefecture."

"Tell the brothers to do whatever they want. I won't blame you."

"Whoo."

The city of Ganzhou is heavily guarded.

The Qing army was also quite tactful and took a detour, only picking on the weak ones.

Every time they passed a village, they would burn it down.

Kill someone and stuff the body into a well to ensure that the person will not be able to recover for a long time.

……

Ma Zhongyi rode his war horse and looked at the burning village.

Suddenly, a ridiculous idea came to my mind:
Being a bandit leader is more comfortable than being a general in the imperial court.
When you are a general, you have to consider many things, but when you are a bandit leader, you only have to burn, kill and loot.

"Liu Lu."

"The slave is here."

"You think that Li Yu knows about this? Can he deal with me?"

"I feel there is nothing I can do."

"Hahahaha. Aren't your Wu troops good at guns and cannons? Yes, we can't beat you on the battlefield. But we have a backer. We can hide on any hilltop. Even if he sends 20 troops into the mountains, they can't do anything."

……

suddenly,

A young woman pushed aside the burning wood and suddenly jumped out.

Seeing the two men on horseback, he immediately knelt down and kowtowed.

beg for mercy:

"General, spare us. We are not bandits."

Ma Zhongyi waved his hand, and two soldiers rushed over from the side and dragged the woman into the woodshed next to them.

however,
After just a dozen breaths, the movement stopped abruptly.

The two soldiers pushed the door open and left, cursing. Blood was dripping from their swords, leaving small red holes in the snow.

……

"Liu Lu, do you remember that we were at Shengjing Racecourse?"

"What did the master say?"

"We caught a female fugitive at the Sandaohezi Horse Farm outside Shengjing. That day was even colder than today, and the snow was thicker than today."

Liu Lu was stunned for a moment, then nodded firmly.

The memory instantly goes back to the past.

During their exile at Shengjing Horse Farm, the master and servant caught a fugitive slave who was hiding in a stable. The slave was not too old.

The two were ecstatic and wanted to do something fun, but they ended up being numb from the cold.

In the end, he cursed and stabbed the corpse, then dragged the corpse to the governor's office to claim the reward.

Killing is to vent anger.

It's also for the man's face.

……

You Town, Liangkou Town, Wusuo Town~
Nangan Town advanced smoothly all the way, dividing its troops into three routes, based on the principle that they could see the black smoke from the fire from each other.

however,
As they advanced northward, Ma Zhongyi gradually began to feel uneasy.

I saw the high mountains and dangerous peaks on both sides gradually becoming lower and lower, entering the edge of the Ganjiang Plain~
He lost his sense of security when he left the mountain.

"Liu Lu, what's ahead?"

"It will take another hour to reach Wan'an County."

"The White Lotus Sect has really come out, right?"

"Yes, yes."

"Send the scouts over to ask again. I am worried."

Ma Zhongyi actually sent out two different groups of scouts. One group squatted at the mountain pass and saw all the members of the White Lotus Sect coming out of the mountain, and the other group went to the White Lotus' winter hideout to check.

The scouts from both routes were very sure of their words and were willing to swear on their ancestors and their own lives.

Especially the scout who went into the mountains to check on the Bailian winter hideout. He saw with his own eyes the mess, the camp gate was open, and all the food and clothes were taken away.
What does this mean?
It is clear that the Lotus Sect members had no intention of going back.

……

Winter,

The sun sets very early.

Ma Zhongyi looked at the desolate fields, all white.

Couldn't help but mutter:

"I don't like desolation. Withered vines and old trees make me feel uneasy."

"My master is right. Jiangnan is still the best place. In the cold winter at Changmen in Suzhou, the lights are still on at midnight, and the singing, dancing and music never end."

Ma Zhongyi tightened his fox fur coat:

"Push the sentry post three miles north. If you see any movement, don't do anything else but sound the gong first to give warning. We are at war now, so it's better to be cautious."

"That's what the master said."

The carefree Liu Lu was also infected by his master's fear. He suddenly woke up at night.

He stood up and listened, but all he heard was the wind whistling like ghosts and wolves howling.

The oil lamp flickered, and the shadows on the wall swayed like ghosts.

"Fuck, this is weird."

"Master Liu, what's wrong?"

An old soldier who served Liu Lu asked through the door.

"You come in."

"Master Liu, what are you doing? How about I find a village girl to warm your feet?"

"No, no. I'm just a little nervous~"

……

The old soldier with missing front teeth took out a few large copper coins from his pocket:

"Master Liu, would you like me to tell your fortune? Tell you whether it's good or bad?"

"to make."

"The front side is auspicious, the back side is ominous. Start~"

The old green camp soldier threw the copper coin high up, but he threw it too high and it got stuck in the thatch on the roof and couldn't fall down.
"The roof is too low, let's start over again."

The old Green Camp soldier took out another large copper coin and threw it up lightly, this time using 1% of his strength.

Unexpectedly, he didn't throw the coin high enough, and the light in the house was dim, so he couldn't catch the coin in time.

The copper coins jingled and rolled around the room.
Gone!

Can't find it!

Liu Lu jumped off the kang and held up the oil lamp to help search for a long time, but he couldn't find the gap where he fell into.

……

The old green camp soldier looked a little embarrassed and said awkwardly:

"Master Liu, I'm sorry. I, I don't know what happened today. This is not how I used to tell fortunes for my brothers."

Liu Lu took a deep breath and said softly:
"It's okay, it's okay, go to sleep."

"Hey."

After the old Green Camp soldier left, Liu Lu still did not give up and searched back and forth in the house with an oil lamp.

Thatched house, adobe walls.

This was the condition of farmhouses during this era.

suddenly,

He noticed a pair of small, dark eyes staring at him.

……

Squeak! Squeak!
The mouse dragged the copper coin and disappeared into the crack of the adobe wall.

Almost at the same time,

The copper coin embedded in the roof suddenly fell down with a clang, and Liu Lu jumped up on the spot in fright.

The oil lamp broke and the room was plunged into darkness.

Fright Night
……

The next day,

Ma Zhongyi looked at the listless Liu Lu and said in surprise:
"what happened to you?"

"No, it's nothing."

"Are you looking for a woman? You must conserve your energy when marching and fighting in winter. You will lose your life if you act so absurdly."

Ma Zhongyi even kicked him, feeling very disappointed with him.

The battlefield experience summed up by our ancestors at the cost of their lives.

First of all, it consumes physical strength. The probability of death increases when fighting for life and death on the battlefield. If you are defeated and escape, the probability of death also increases.

Then you are more likely to catch cold, and the probability of illness and death increases.

Many people overlook one thing.
After a war, the number of soldiers who died from exhaustion, disease, cold and hunger was often higher than those who died in fighting on the battlefield.

……

Early in the morning,
The soldiers in Nangan Town were busy making fires, cooking, and packing up tents and supplies, and the whole place was in a mess.

Liu Lu caught up with Ma Zhongyi and asked in a low voice:

"Master, shall we move forward?"

"Enter!"

"But didn't you say yesterday that it would be dangerous for a large army to go deep into the plains?"

"I thought again, the Wu army is not a celestial being, can they fly here from Nanchang? In this kind of weather, no army would march long distances." Ma Zhongyi changed his depressed mood and said confidently, "The soldiers in the south of the Yangtze River are not good at enduring hardships. They must be hiding in winter and resting in summer, and fighting in spring and autumn."

Liu Lu didn't continue talking.

He took the bowl of rice noodles brought by the cook, added chili and vinegar, and there was a piece of lard and a spoonful of soy sauce at the bottom of the bowl.

It smells good after mixing.
People are sweating slightly.

……

"Report, someone is coming from the north."

A White Lotus messenger knelt on one knee to pay homage to Ma Zhongyi.

"The Great Protector has led his troops past the city of Ji'an. Please tell us where the two armies should meet and hand over supplies."

"It's just west of Taihe County, Suxi Town."

"Yes."

Liu Lu came over:

"Master, do we really want to support the White Lotus bandits? These people are playing tricks every day, they are not good people."

"As long as we can muddy the waters of Jiangxi, it doesn't matter if he is a human or a ghost."

"Will the Emperor blame us for acting on our own will?"

"The five southeastern provinces are in such a mess. Can we still follow the previous rules? The emperor will only praise me for my loyalty to the country and my lack of concern for trivial matters. At least reward me with a governor and 5 taels of military funds."

Ma Zhongyi couldn't help but burst into laughter. The governor was actually too young. I wanted to be a military governor.
……

At this time, Emperor Qianlong was staying in Kaifeng Prefecture, Henan.

along the way,
He handled important military affairs as usual and approved the official business of the six ministries.

"Heshen, please take a look at the memorial from Jiangxi."

"Whoo."

Heshen read ten lines at a glance and finished reading quickly.

This is a memorial written by Ma Zhongyi before he left southern Jiangxi and moved to Zhuguangshan.

The main idea is just 8 words:

Fortify the walls and clear the fields, and advance into the mountains to maintain a stalemate.

"It doesn't matter if Jiangxi is lost. What I am most worried about now is Huguang. If Huguang is lost, I am afraid that the whole south will change."

"Your Majesty is right. But with Lord Agui guarding Yunnan and Guizhou, there is still hope in the south."

Qianlong stood up.

Looking at the heavy snow outside the window, I sighed:
"There are many people in this world who are dissatisfied with me, right?"

These words were so hurtful that Heshen lowered his head and pretended not to hear them.

……

"Your Majesty, the Governor of Donghe, Wu Dingbang, is here."

"What is he here for?"

During the Qianlong period,

The river governor is composed of two persons:
The first was the Governor-General of Donghe, who governed Shandong and Henan, and the second was the Governor-General of Nanhe, who governed Jiangsu.

The "river" here refers to the "Grand Canal and the Yellow River".

He Shen whispered:

"Master Wu must be here to ask for silver."

"Let him in."

With great official authority and a portly figure, Wu Dingbang walked into the palace and respectfully kowtowed three times and bowed nine times.

Then he took out a blood letter from his pocket:
"Your Majesty, all the colleagues in the River Administration have written this letter in tears, saying that the matter is urgent. The Yellow River cannot wait, and the people along the river cannot wait either."

"Please ask the court to quickly allocate silver to repair the river."

The chief eunuch Qin Si's eyes were spitting fire.

He Shen had no expression on his face, and cursed in his heart:
Wu Dingbang, you bastard.

……

"Bring it here."

Qin Si quickly took the white silk letter written in blood and handed it to Qianlong with both hands.

The rows of bloody words on the two-foot-long white silk looked shocking.

However, Qianlong skipped the main text, only glanced at the dozens of signatures at the end, and put the white silk aside.

Heshen was like a worm in Qianlong's stomach.

It may seem impolite, but it is actually a smart first question:

"Sir Wu, it's winter now, the traditional dry season. What does your river administration want the money for?"

Wu Dingbang was well prepared and answered calmly:

"You may not know this, sir. Summer disease is treated in winter, and river management has always been like this. In recent years, the court has been busy suppressing rebellions and neglected river management, and the funds allocated have been decreasing year by year. If this continues, I am afraid that the Yellow River will burst its banks during the summer flood next year~"

The last word "burst the dam" hurt Qianlong's heart.

He asked back coldly:

"So what if the dam breaks? Are we going to leave such a good dam to Wu the thief?"

(End of this chapter)