Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 437: Tumu Fortress is a precedent, and I am afraid that the emperor is in danger
The wind was strong on the river, so Li Yu took shelter in the cabin.

I started to think about the gap between the two countries in shipbuilding:
Taking the 600-shi civilian transport ship (that is, 36 tons) just discussed as an example, the market price is 300 taels, and the actual factory cost is 250 taels, which is equivalent to a construction cost of 7 taels per ton.

The cost of building a ship for the East India Company was 2.5 pounds (8 taels of silver) per ton.

Taking into account the differences in material selection between inland vessels and sea vessels, we can draw a conclusion that the current shipbuilding costs of the Wu State are much higher than those of its peers.

……

In order to stabilize her allies, Adelaide deliberately demonstrated her strength.

He hinted that
The Saxons are the best at controlling shipbuilding costs in the world today.

This was also one of the key factors that enabled the Saxon East India Company to rise to prominence.

The Ministry of Commerce decisively proposed to order one of their main merchant ship types, a 1-ton armed merchant ship, to be delivered with the trade fleet next time.

Adelaide agreed immediately without any hesitation.

Even simple drawings and data are put on paper.

After listening to the report, Li Yu deduced that the Kolkata Shipyard must have a lot of semi-finished products or even ships that are close to completion.

Therefore,
That's why they agreed so readily.

The transaction price of this 400-ton ship was set at 5000 taels of silver.

Both parties are very satisfied~
……

Wu Jun’s current main battleship, the 2200-ton “Jiangnan-class”, weighs only 130 tons.

The total weight of the 36 ship-borne guns plus the gun carriages (half of which were carronades) was close to 25 tons.

There are 150 sailors and the weight is about 12 tons.

Plus ammunition, food, fresh water, tools, spare wood, sails, and other odds and ends.

Due to its small tonnage and poor quality of timber, the Jiangnan class is simply unable to undertake long-distance voyages, and even has to consider supplies when sailing near the coast.

Fortunately, the carronade was powerful enough and the Qing navy was weak enough.

This is what created the Jiangnan-class's illustrious record~
Li Yu silently labeled the Wu Kingdom Navy:
A small inland navy.

[Ancient and modern ship unit conversion: 1000 liang = 60 tons = 120000 jin = 1000 shi]

……

suddenly,

On the mast, the lookout shouted loudly:
"There are four small Qing army boats in front of us on the right."

Li Yu walked out of the cabin.

Pulling out the telescope, I saw the Qing army's small warships moving very fast on the river in the distance.
The two Susong-class ships on the two wings took the initiative to engage in battle and headed towards the Qing army.

The expected water fight did not happen.

The Qing army's small warships did not dare to approach and fled. They knew that with the power of the Wu army's ship-borne carronades, one shot could destroy one ship.

The Wu army's navy rampaged through the inland waters unhindered and had not encountered an enemy for a long time.

The Carronade is so arrogant.

Same weight, 2 circles larger in diameter.

Same caliber, but 2 pounds more gunpowder.

It can be called a "pentagonal warrior", its only shortcoming is its range.

In the 18th century, the last thing the navy cared about was range.

……

Li Yu frowned and asked:
"Is it a patrol boat? Which town is it from?"

The captain replied:

"A kind of paddle boat, very similar to the Cantonese ship, and a bit faster. I think it might be the Qing army from Hubei."

Li Yu nodded and didn't take it to heart.

Just a reminder to be careful.

The Qing army couldn't figure out the direction of their attack, so they were busy scouting everywhere.

Before departure,
All soldiers were told that the destination was Jiujiang.

This is Li Yu's trick to confuse his opponent.

……

After witnessing the Qing navy fleeing without even daring to fire their cannons, the Jiangnan civilian fleet cheered collectively.

The rough boat captains even beat gongs wildly to express their joy.

Confidence
That's how it was cultivated.

After returning, these people would exaggerate and tell stories about how brave the Wu army's warships were and how cowardly the Qing army was.

At this time,
The Qing army in Hubei was extremely nervous.

Governor-General of Huguang Chen Zulo and Governor of Hubei Wang Jie were particularly nervous. They highly suspected that Wu's army wanted to attack Hubei by both land and sea.

Water route: Hukou - Qizhou - Huangzhou - Wuchang

Land route: Jiujiang - Ruichang County - Xingguo Prefecture - Wuchang

……

In the east, the two prefectures of Huangzhou and Wuchang were in a state of panic, with three shocks a day.

"Governor, many people are fleeing from Wuchang. Do you want to stop them?"

"No, let them be."

"This will have a huge impact on the morale of the army. I am afraid that more and more people will follow suit."

Wang Jie pondered for a moment.
He said loudly:

"Then set up a checkpoint at the city gate and collect a tax of 1 tael per person for leaving the city."

"Whoo."

Wang Jie sighed, dipped his finger in ink and continued writing memorials to Qianlong.

Then, he sent someone on horseback to remind Emperor Qianlong who was stationed in Nanyang Prefecture.

just in case,

If the Wu army is unstoppable and rushes to Xiangyang or Nanyang after taking Wuchang, the emperor might be in danger.

The Qing Dynasty must not have a Tumu Fortress~
……

Wang Jie has a good reputation as an official. Since taking office,
Just do 3 things:

Grow crops, recruit soldiers, and build fortifications.

Wang Jie is not greedy and has compassion for the people, but in this situation, he will still put the country before the people.

The country is the most important, the emperor is second, and the people are third.

On moral standards,
He was already a rare gentleman in the territory of the Qing Dynasty.

……

"The Governor is here."

"Please come quickly."

Wang Jie put on his hat and went out to greet him.

Chen Zuluo waved his hand:
"Don't be so rigid. This is an extraordinary period. I want to discuss something with you."

"Master, please speak."

"Do you think the Wu thieves will attack Hubei?"

Wang Jie sighed:

"Sooner or later."

"Can you hold it?"

"Whether you can defend it or not, you must defend it. To eat the salary of the emperor and share the worries of the emperor is nothing more than death."

"Master Wang is indeed worthy of being the number one scholar personally selected by the Emperor."

The room suddenly fell into inexplicable silence.

……

Wang Jie whispered:

"Governor, I have something to say from the bottom of my heart, but I don't know if I should say it or not."

"please say."

"If that traitor Li personally leads his army to invade Hubei, please ask the governor to leave the city."

Chen Zuluo was startled and was about to speak.

But was interrupted by Wang Jie:

"Please listen to me, Governor. Wuchang is the thoroughfare of nine provinces, the barrier of the southeast, and the center of the Yangtze River. We must defend it to the death. However, the Wu thieves have an elite navy and powerful heavy artillery. It is only a matter of time before Wuchang falls."

"I will stay in Wuchang, and you, Governor, will lead the Manchu and Mongolian cavalry to conduct guerrilla warfare in Jingxiang, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Together, we will support Huguang."

Chen Zuluo's eyes were slightly red.
After decades of ups and downs in the political world, he had already developed a heart of stone. But today, he was still moved by Wang Jie's moon chest collar.

……

Wang Jie smiled:

"I am from Hancheng, Shaanxi. I lost my father when I was young and my family was poor. Fortunately, I was blessed by heaven and became the first number one scholar from Shaanxi since the founding of the Qing Dynasty."

"I am 60 years old, and I have lived for a full sixty years. That is enough. I am content. Governor, I would like to gain a reputation as a loyal hero after my death. I hope you can help me do that."

"If God has a good will, I can severely defeat the enemy troops under the city and create some opportunities for the imperial army. It would be unfortunate if only a few words of mine could be left in the thin history books."

Chen Zuluo stood up, bowed deeply and left.

Wang Jie, in his youth, worked in Chen's father's shogunate for a living and received financial support from Chen's father.

later,

Wang Jie passed the imperial examination and had a successful career in the court.

After Chen's father died, the two men never had any contact with each other and became strangers, so much so that everyone in the court had forgotten about the incident.

And now,
Wang Jie came to repay his gratitude.

……

The back door of the Governor's Mansion,
There is an endless stream of carriages and horses.

He left Wuchang loaded with gold, silver, valuables, and family servants.

Chen Zuluo, a man with a lot of money as an official.

He is the leader of the He family army in the local area.

Being moved is being moved, serving the court is serving the court, and doing things must be a win-win situation! If the court wins 1 tael, you must also win 1 tael.

Otherwise, there will be no motivation to do this.

It has always been like this with the He family army.

Wang Jie knows this very well, but he is not Qian Feng. He does not "hate evil" and he can "live in harmony with the world".

……

city ​​gate,
The ferocious Green Camp soldiers lined up on both sides with swords in hand.

Before leaving the city, travelers had to throw one or two taels of silver into the basket.

otherwise,

Just prepare to sink with Wuchang.

In one day, more than 10,000 taels of "city exit tax" were collected.

Wang Jie used the silver to recruit local soldiers outside the city.

He didn't trust the Green Camp soldiers. Instead of giving these lazy soldiers a raise, he decided to recruit honest villagers because at least they were obedient.

……

On the school field,
"What? The imperial court wants to disband the Wuchang garrison?"

Thousands of Green Camp soldiers were in an uproar. They could hardly believe their ears.

He cursed and looked fierce.

The officers of the Zhenbiao Army also got furious and started to curse the governor and the governor-general. The next step might be to curse the emperor.

however,
The Mongolian cavalry rumbled in, their sabers sharp and their eyes malicious.

"Take off your livery, your hat, and get out of here."

Under the suppression of the cavalry,
These Green Camp soldiers with resentful eyes were driven out of Wuchang City, and then monitored by cavalry and driven to the Mufu Mountain area in the southeast.

Wang Jie stood on the city wall and watched these soldiers leave.

……

"Governor, I'm afraid the city's defenses are weak."

"The Green Camp soldiers can only fight favorable battles and battles they are sure to win. There is no point in keeping them."

"What if they defect to Wu Zetian?"

"It doesn't matter. Scumbags are scumbags wherever they go. If Wu Zetian is infected with the style of the Green Camp, it will be a good thing."

Wang Jie knew very well that the soldiers who were forcibly disbanded by him would not farm honestly and would most likely go to Mufu Mountain to become bandits.

It has no harm to the imperial court, but may have some harm to the State of Wu.

While disbanding the Green Camp, Wang Jie began to urgently recruit poor and honest farmers.

After receiving two months' military pay, the whole family can move to Wuchang and live in an empty house in the city.

Many militia units around Wuchang were also ordered to enter the city.

Wang Jie promised,

After repelling the Wu bandits, all the regiment commanders were awarded the seventh rank, a real position.

……

Guangzhou City is under heavy security.

Flags of the Wu Army's 5th Corps began to appear outside the city.

Miao Youlin used a telescope to look at Yuexiu Mountain from afar~
I saw that the Qing army had built artillery fortifications on the top of the mountain.

Judging from the flags, it is guarded by Green Camp soldiers.

The Eight Banners stationed in Guangzhou saw their combat effectiveness decline.

If Qianlong held a city-wide martial arts competition, the Eight Banners stationed in Guangzhou would be ranked last, and the Eight Banners in the capital would be ranked second.

There are elite soldiers among the Beijing flags!

But unfortunately the base number is too large, and there are too many people carrying bird cages, which lowers the average combat effectiveness.

……

The 5th Corps, the 1st Expeditionary Army, Hakka civilians, and Qing troops in northern Guangdong captured more than 2 people.

Facing the big city of Guangzhou in front of them, they were not in a hurry to attack the city.

Set up camp first.
The staff officers were busy.
Command the civilians and prisoners to work, dig trenches and build fortifications.

Guangzhou is the provincial capital and has not experienced war for more than a hundred years. Outside the city, there are continuous manors and stacked houses.

By demolishing it on the spot, you can get a lot of building materials.

Mainly wood and stone strips.

Those broken tables, chairs and benches can be collected and used as fuel.

The Qing troops in Guangzhou just watched silently as the bustling scene outside the city became like a market, and no one dared to leave the city to attack.

A captain muttered:

"The Art of War says that within a mile of the city, you should fortify the walls and clear the fields, break bridges and dig roads, destroy forests and demolish houses, and poison wells. Now, isn't this aiding the enemy?"

The guerrilla next to him laughed:
"These houses outside are either owned by the bannermen or the government. Who gave the order to fortify the city and clear the land? You? Or me?"

……

After 2 days of hard work,
The 5th Corps finally completed the blockade and camping mission, dug a systematic trench, and added chevaux de frise on some sections of the road.

The baggage and artillery camps were tightly blocked.

In addition to trenches, chevaux de frise, there are also patrols.

The 1st Expeditionary Army camp was the busiest.

The Qing army prisoners of war in northern Guangdong were formally incorporated into the Expeditionary Force.

The veterans brought out their most ferocious temperament and trained these bastards harshly.

During queue training,
The old soldier, Fatty, picked up a short stick and smashed it all over his head, shouting:

"Donkey balls, stand up straight."

The Qing army prisoner with bleeding head became so angry that he clenched his fists.

……

The fat boy kicked the prisoner in the crotch instantly.

The prisoner fell to the ground and struggled
The fat boy raised his military boots and stomped hard.

One, two, three times~
Screaming again and again.

After a long time, the prisoner who was stomped finally stopped struggling and died.

Fatty stepped on the corpse and pointed at the people around him:

"Don't resist. The more you resist, the more excited you will be."

Training new recruits is boring and stressful.

Beating and scolding is really exhausting.

Each veteran could only hold out for half an hour, and then go down to drink and eat meat, and be replaced by his companions.

The corps commander-in-chief, Gan Changsheng, was surprised to find that the veterans all liked to be training instructors for the new recruits.

Every time a new batch of soldiers arrives,
The cohesion of the veterans will automatically increase.

The risk of camp explosion is decreasing day by day.

Even the military judge was puzzled.

……

We train from sunrise to sunset every day with almost no breaks.

The mortality rate is surprisingly high~
In the queue,
Another prisoner fell down, exhausted.

"Towed away."

In just these two days, more than 2 bodies of prisoners have been buried.

Speak the truth,

The Green Camp soldiers rarely suffered such casualties in battle.

however,
Even clay figures have some temperament, let alone these living people.

Just when the veteran Fatty came on again and chopped up two egg yolks again, the prisoners finally exploded collectively and lost control.

……

A captive's face twisted and he raised his fist:
"Fuck your mother, rebel~"

The veteran Fatty reacted quickly, threw away the short stick, turned around and ran, and blew the whistle hanging around his neck loudly while running.

The shrill whistle instantly resounded throughout the camp.
Shake people!

……

The prisoner whose nose was broken by a short stick wiped the blood from his nose.

Enduring the pain, he sobbed and yelled:
"Rebellion, rebellion, it's a death anyway."

One person shouts, and a hundred people respond.

The prisoners immediately panicked and wanted to kill the old soldiers who were eating and drinking dozens of feet away.

The veterans reacted quickly, dropping their food and running away.

After a while,
Reinforcements arrived, hundreds of soldiers with spears, spreading out from both sides to surround the enemy.

in the sun,
The plate armor shone with a creepy luster.

The veterans immediately stepped aside, shouting:

"The new soldiers are rebelling, suppress them quickly."

……

The old soldier Fatty then stopped, picked up a snare drum that had fallen on the ground, hung it around his waist, and began to beat the snare drum rhythmically.

The soldiers quickly followed the drum beat.

Tacit understanding~
Fatty participated in almost all the wars from Nanchang to Yangzhou, from Jiangxi to Guangdong.

not dead!

This is enough to show that he is outstanding in at least one of his strength and luck.

Just now, when the new recruits caused trouble in the camp, the fat guy turned around and ran away. It was not because he was cowardly.

He has experience.

You want to stop the soldiers who are trying to blow up the camp with a broken sword? You must be the second master of Guan.

……

(End of this chapter)