Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 434: Troubles within the family, gradually getting out of control
The distance between Shaozhou Prefecture and its affiliated Yingde County is about 200 li.

The army marched along the Zhenjiang River (Beijiang River) without any danger of getting lost.

The overall altitude of the mountainous area in northern Guangdong is not too high, and cities, farmland and official roads have been formed along the rivers.

In theory,

It doesn’t matter if Wu Jun doesn’t have a map.

If you march along the river, you can find 7% of the cities and population in Guangdong~
It is difficult for modern people to imagine the significance of rivers to humans in areas such as survival, migration, and military.

The river is everything!
……

Miao Youlin ordered the main force and baggage and artillery to stay behind and move slowly, while the cavalry and a battalion of light infantry rushed to the city of Yingde County first.

Yingde County, the city gates are closed.

The city walls were crowded with people and flags were flying.

During the Qing Dynasty,
Guangdong and Guangxi are both representative regions of disunity.

All the emperors of the past tried their best to select scholars from the north to serve as local officials in Guangdong and Guangxi.

The Ministry of Personnel has no explicit provisions, so it is a default rule, which is an enhanced version of "serving as an official in a different place"~
The Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Yi Erhang, had already clearly informed all the civil and military officials under his jurisdiction that anyone who lost the city would be held accountable.

The Wu army tried to persuade them to surrender but to no avail.

……

Li Yu once lamented,

During these hundreds of years, the two nations that truly took the principle of balance to the extreme were the Saxons and the Qing court.

The biggest difference is:
The Saxons pursued a balance externally, while the Qing court pursued a balance internally.

In terms of skills, the Grand Council may not be inferior to Downing Street.

It’s just that the Aisin-Gioro family has always been a colonizer. Over the past 300 years, they have remained true to their original aspirations and have been teaching others tirelessly. Their determination is rare in ancient and modern times.

If there is no external intervention,

It is possible for the Aisin-Gioro family to create a "surface" empire that lasts for a thousand years, just like the poplar trees outside the Great Wall, which are rotten but not falling, and seem dead but not dead.

……

Second Lieutenant of the Light Cavalry, Wu Laoer, shouted at the top of his voice:

"Yingde County, when the cannons arrive, those of you who resist the officials will be in danger of losing your entire family's lives."

He urged his horse around the city, running and shouting.

The horse speed is sometimes fast and sometimes slow, to prevent being ambushed by the Qing army guarding the city~
The current distance is beyond the reach of muskets and crossbows, so the main defense is artillery.

As long as he kept moving, the artillery would not have time to aim.

The war has been going on for a long time.

Veterans will automatically acquire various survival wisdom, but most of the new recruits may die in one battle.

"Master, I want to speak."

A civilian recruited by Shaozhou Prefecture volunteered, but due to the language barrier, both sides took a long time to understand each other.

……

"The Wu army has reached Yingde County. Hakka brothers in the city should quickly open the city gates to welcome the heavenly soldiers."

"The Tartars won't be able to survive for many more days. The Hakka brothers will join forces to kill the officers and soldiers."

"The Hakka people want to rise up and take up arms.

The Yingde County defenders suddenly changed color.

The magistrate's face, in particular, was distorted violently. He had served in northern Guangdong for a long time and could understand Hakka.

"fire."

The deafening sound of artillery fire interrupted the shouting outside the city.

Suddenly, a subordinate came to report:

"Your Excellency, this is bad. The scoundrels in the city are about to start a rebellion~"

The magistrate quickly assembled a team of Green Camp soldiers. Along the way, he saw some Hakka people walking out of their houses, looking around with unfriendly eyes.

His face suddenly changed.
He shouted sharply:

"Quick, organize patrols and enforce the curfew. Anyone who goes out will be considered a criminal and will be killed without mercy."

……

As soon as the gunfire stopped, the shouting began again.

then,

The magistrate was so angry that he ordered the cannons to continue firing, but later he felt that it was a waste of gunpowder, so he changed it to ringing the gong.

So repeatedly,

The Wu army outside the city was laughing so hard that their teeth were not visible.

Wu Laoer didn't understand the reason, but the magistrate of Yingde knew it very well.

Because 8% of the residents in the city are Hakkas, 1% are Cantonese, and 1% are Chaozhou and Qiong people from other places.

You're sitting on a powder keg.

As long as a spark falls to the ground, there will be no recovery.

Perhaps, the Shaozhou civilians outside the city also understand this principle.

Midnight,

They found some local Hakka landless refugees and started shouting "Hakka landowners".

……

The roar sounded like the sound of Sanskrit, demanding death, to the ears of the Qing troops defending the city.

Looking into the city, it felt like there was a bloodthirsty beast hiding in the darkness.

"Captain, it's not that bad, is it?"

"You don't understand. You have only been in the army for a few months. I have been in Yingde for 10 years and I know the evil nature of these Hakka people."

"I usually think they are quite honest."

"You know nothing. I'm not crazy. I personally led troops to suppress mining riots in the western mountainous areas twice. Swords and spears were no match for those Hakka miners. We had to rely on firearms to subdue them."

The boss's teeth were chattering, and I didn't know if it was because of the cold or fear.

inside the city,

The county government office was brightly lit.

The magistrate arrested three Hakka leaders who were usually prestigious, and the yamen runners stood guard on both sides with knives.

He stared with bloodshot eyes:
"I just want to ask you one question, are you loyal or disloyal?"

The three of them lowered their heads and said nothing.

……

The magistrate bypassed the major case and persuaded the people with kindness:
"You organize the foreign warriors to go out of the city to fight. The government will give each of them 1 tael of military pay. Fight a little with the Wu bandits. Only when you see the bloodthirsty officials will they trust you."

"I will give each of you an additional 100 taels of silver."

"May I?"

Still silent~
"We swear to heaven that after we defeat the Wu bandits, we will treat you, the foreigners, well. We will allow you to open a few private mines in the mountains, and the county government will pretend not to see anything. We will also let you run the two docks that are controlled by foreign merchants."

Still silent.

The magistrate almost collapsed, pointing at the three people and asking:
"I have already admitted my mistake. What else do you want? Can't you just put aside your past grudges?"

"Ah, ah, ah."

"Kill, kill them."

……

The magistrate suffered a nervous breakdown and let out a sharp explosion.

The yamen runners instantly split into two groups and started killing each other.

In the melee, two of the three Hakka leaders died and one was injured.

The county government office caught fire.

Someone rushed out of the county government office, shouting:
"The government is going to take action. They are going to kill all the immigrants in the city."

Darkness magnifies the fear hidden deep in people's hearts.

The whole city of Yingde was in chaos, with many fires~
The flower hall at the back of the county government office,

The magistrate hid in his study, trembling.

Listening to the sound of fighting in front gradually becoming smaller, I prayed in my heart for blessings from all the gods and Buddhas.

suddenly,

The footsteps were getting louder and louder.

A yamen runner led the way and kicked open the door.

"Caught!"

……

The magistrate was dragged to the gate of the county government office.

In the light of the torches, he saw a large group of angry Hakka people, holding sticks, kitchen knives, and dung forks.
The guard raised his knife and shouted:

"Kill him and open the city gates to welcome the heavenly soldiers."

The crowd chanted.

The magistrate begged for mercy from the yamen runners:

"I remember that your ancestral home is Wuzhou, also Guangdong..."

Lin Chuan drew his knife and stabbed the magistrate in the abdomen.

He leaned in and whispered:

"My mother is a Hakka, so I can be considered a Hakka too."

The magistrate died.

Lin Chuan carried his head and shouted everywhere.

He needs to consolidate his achievements, build good relationships with his Hakka brothers and integrate as soon as possible.

at dawn,

He could stand at the front and cheer for the Wu army to enter the city.

Then he transformed himself into a new Hakka leader in the county who was doing well.

……

The Qing army on the city wall saw a large group of dark figures approaching the stairs, and immediately fired at the people below without caring about anything.
The fear in their hearts was also infinitely magnified.

Outside the city, it was pitch black.

Inside the city, the night was pierced by the light of fire, and only shadows of people could be seen, indistinguishable as friend or foe.

Someone saw the county magistrate waving his arms and stumbling over.

"Don't shoot, it's me, officer."

"The bandits in the city rebelled, and the county magistrate died."

The terrified Qing army immediately turned their mountain-splitting cannons around and fired at the city to vent their anger.

That night, guns rang out and human lives were like falling leaves.

Even the "first hero" Lin Chuan hid in a sturdy tile-roofed house, praying that the shells would not fall on his head.

……

outside the city,

The Wu army, roughly guessing what had happened, decided to support the uprising in the city.

Beat the drums and shout.

The infantry group fired muskets at the city walls to intimidate the Qing army.

The Qing troops defending the city collapsed, opened the South Gate, discarded their weapons, and fled for their lives under the cover of darkness.

Out of caution, the Wu army did not pursue the enemy at night or enter the city.

Instead, he sent Hakka civilians accompanying the army into the city to inform the people in the city to actively put out the fire.

The army, early in the morning, enters the city on time!

……

The wait is long.

As the sun rose, Wu's army entered the city one after another with guns and live ammunition.

There was no resistance at all, but the streets in the city were covered with blood and corpses.

The soldiers felt sympathetic and, under the organization of the officers, quickly took control of the government offices and warehouses and started registering.

They also arrested criminals and either executed them on the spot or detained them in centralized locations.

At the same time, the treasury was opened and the people in the city were hired to clean up the corpses, wash away the bloodstains, and repair the city defenses.

At noon,

The main force arrived.

Seeing that it went so smoothly, Miao Youlin couldn't help laughing.

Without bloodshed, we took another city.

……

"Leave one company behind to deal with the aftermath, the rest of you must not rest, target - Guangzhou!"

The 5th Army was in high spirits and marched briskly.

The morale of any army in any era has a shelf life. After long-term combat, morale is bound to be low and depressed.

This is true for the Green Camp and also for Wu Jun.

In previous battles,

The Wu Army's General Staff Headquarters discovered a pattern: after more than two months of going on an expedition, the soldiers began to complain and the officers remained silent.

After all, a mule will become passive and lazy after pulling a millstone for too long, let alone a living person.

Therefore, it is important to strike while the iron is hot.
Hurry up and take Guangzhou to achieve the most dazzling achievement.

……

The distance from Yingde to Guangzhou is about 300 miles.

It takes 2 hours to drive on the highway.

The flood takes half a day.

The army needed 8 days.

Miao Youlin inspected on horseback.

25 experienced staff officers were responsible for conveying his military orders to lieutenants at all levels, ensuring the march was in order.

The light cavalry company led the charge, providing both surveillance and reconnaissance.
The second wave consisted of a battalion of fully armed light infantry, 2 miles behind the vanguard light cavalry.

The third wave was a large number of unarmed soldiers, whose muskets and luggage were piled on baggage carts.

The fourth wave was the 4st Expeditionary Force, which marched unarmed. They were dressed in grey coarse cloth and swore along the way. They looked like prisoners from a distance and like gangsters up close.

Their armor and spears were also piled on the baggage carts.

Behind it are the artillery.

After the artillery came the legion's baggage.

Behind the baggage train was a battalion of light infantry, fully armed and guarding the rear.

There was also a mobile light cavalry company that moved back and forth on the flank of the team, mainly to prevent enemies from rushing out of the mountains and attacking the side of the army.

……

After conquering Shaozhou and Yingde, Miao Youlin selected 5000 young and strong Hakka soldiers and put them under the command of baggage officers, whose main task was to push artillery carts and carry baggage.

Since there were limited livestock, we used wheelbarrows.

If there are not enough wheelbarrows, people will carry the things on their shoulders.

The monthly salary for the civilians is 2 taels, which includes food and accommodation.

The military judge repeatedly stressed to the civilians:
Be sure to observe discipline and don't run around before a battle.

The Wu army did not need civilians to charge, but they were also strictly prohibited from abandoning their baggage and running away. If they did, they would be treated as deserters.

……

A lieutenant in the baggage regiment appointed Lin Chuan, a former Yingde County yamen official and a Hakka who followed his maternal lineage, as the leader of the laborers.

"Sir, can you give us weapons?"

"Ok?"

"We don't need muskets, spears and swords will do. If a fight breaks out, we can also lend a hand."

The lieutenant shook his head and patted Lin Chuan on the shoulder:

"This matter will be discussed later."

"Yes."

Lin Chuan didn't mind at all, his goal had been achieved.

manner!

……

Lin Chuan was very fortunate.
The father and son Zhao De, two prestigious gentry in Shaozhou Prefecture, were sent to Suzhou Prefecture by Miao Youlin with a military order.

if not,

This good job is not mine.

If I lead 5000 civilians to help the army capture Guangzhou City and then return to Yingde, I could at least become a chief clerk.

One step to the sky!
The army marched no more than 30 miles a day because they had to wait for baggage and artillery.

every day,

One and a half hours before sunset, the army stopped to set up camp, set up simple fortifications and dug trenches.

……

Camping for science,

The staff officers' voices became hoarse every day and everyone was busy as a whirlwind.

The 5th Army's attack on Guangzhou was different from any previous march. It could be considered the first time that the Wu army had marched deep into enemy territory.
This is also the first time that the "Marching and Quartering" chapter of the "Infantry Manual" has been fully applied.

Day 1 was terrible.

Day 2 was bad too.

By the fifth day, the process had become obviously more familiar to everyone, and everyone was doing their own job, no longer acting like a million headless flies.

The staff officers wrote down their experiences on paper under the light of oil lamps and would summarize them after the war.

Your Majesty has something to say,

No manual is definitive and should be continually revised and improved.

If a booklet has not been revised for half a year, the people involved should reflect on whether this subject is really perfect?
At least, Li Yu didn't believe it.

Especially the "Metallurgy Manual" and "Shipbuilding Manual", which were revised at least dozens of times.

Wuguo Technology is still in its infancy and has a long way to go in the future.

……

"Commander-in-chief, the scouts are reporting. There is black smoke from Qingyuan County, 5 miles ahead, and it seems like there is fighting going on inside the city."

"Oh?"

Miao Youlin smiled. Was he going to take advantage of another ready-made bargain?

I'm really lucky~
Although Qingyuan County is small, it is located on the only way from Jiangxi to Guangzhou. There is no way to bypass it, and it must be taken.

"Send out one light cavalry company and two infantry companies, separate from the main force, and capture Qingyuan."

"When attacking, you must use the infantry company as the main force, and the cavalry flanks to cooperate. Do you understand?"

"As ordered."

The light cavalry was not part of the 5th Army and was very scarce in number.

Therefore, we must reduce unnecessary casualties as much as possible.

His Majesty has already given instructions:

Light cavalry should not be used in attack unless absolutely necessary!
……

Qingyuan County.

A fight did begin.

The fighting between the natives and the Hakkas in Heshan and Kaiping gradually spread and even reached Qingyuan, 200 miles away.

The fight for water resources is an unavoidable conflict.

This time,
The Cantonese gentry militia relied on their weapon advantage to defeat the Hakka farmers who were trying to seize the water source, killing three of them on the spot.
The defeated Yingde soldiers brought the news that Yingde County had fallen and the Hakka people had joined forces to open the city gates.
The officials and gentry of Qingyuan were collectively shocked.

All soldiers were immediately dispatched to join forces with the Cantonese militia to expel all foreign residents in the city by force to ensure safety.

……

However, the county government's military force is far from enough to achieve this goal.

Looking at the entire Qingyuan County,
Hakka people make up two-thirds of the total population.

But in the county town, the population is half and half, including natives and Hakkas.

(End of this chapter)