Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 441: Wu Jun's new weapons, using Guangzhou City as a test
Looking down from the air, Guangzhou city looks like an open fan.

Yuexiu Mountain (in the north of the city) is the Fan Pendant.

The Manchu city occupied about a quarter of the fan's area, and the garrisoned Eight Banners and their families totaled more than 8000 people.

The Guangzhou general, Fu Min, issued the strictest mobilization order in history - all males, aged 10 and above and below 60, were to be assembled and take turns guarding day and night.

The original pinewood gates were replaced with ironwood, the walls were raised, and the battlements were reinforced with bricks, stones and glutinous rice mortar.

A submachine gun is placed every 10 meters.

Every 50 feet, a heavy cannon weighing more than a thousand pounds was placed.

A trench was dug inside the city wall, followed by a chevaux de frise and an earthen wall.

……

A large amount of gunpowder and arrows were stored in the city.

Every household should have a rifle, a sword, and a bow and arrow.

Those who can ride horses will be equipped with horses.

Barricades are set up at street intersections.

Rooftop, consider the shooting position.

Fu Min summoned the flagmen of each flag again and again, telling everyone that they must fight to the death and not harbor any illusions.
Anyone can surrender!

Only the Bannermen are not allowed!
The Wu army was brutal and would massacre the soldiers and flags whenever they broke into a city. It was better to die heroically in battle than to be slaughtered like pigs and dogs.

An atmosphere of terror enveloped the whole city.

Everyone is in despair, but there is indeed a bit of determination to die.

……

Guangzhou Big Three,
Governor-General Yi Erhang, Guangzhou General Fu Min, and Governor Zhao Shisheng discussed repeatedly and finally decided to focus the defense on the "Banner Territory".

The area is limited to Dabeizhi Street.
To the west is the Manchu area, called "Banner Territory".

To the east is the Han area, called "Han territory".

Move most of the artillery to Mancheng.
The more concentrated the troops and firearms are, theoretically, the stronger the defense capability will be.

……

Irhang returned to his house.
The staff member Wu Bingjian came and proposed:
"Governor, Guangzhou is so big, why don't we add some Han soldiers to guard it?"

"Green Camp soldiers?"

"No, it's the Cantonese militia."

Fumin laughed angrily and said unhappily:

"The militia is useless, it's just a mob. Do you really expect them to defend Guangzhou?"

"As long as the blood of the gentry and common people in Guangzhou can be stained on Wu Jun's hands, and the blood feud between the two sides can never be resolved, that will be enough."

Yierhang's smile froze and he stared at Wu Bingjian for a long time.

The eyes are complicated.

"You are from Guangdong, how can your plan be so vicious?"

"My family is ruined, my business is ruined, and I am all alone. If it weren't for the governor's protection, I would have become a dead soul in the Pearl River. I don't consider anything else but the governor."

……

Guangzhou’s external channels are still open.

The Governor's handwritten order came from the Pearl River, calling on the regiment commanders of surrounding counties to lead their troops to station in the provincial capital.

All food and wages are paid by the Governor-General's Office, and official titles and wishes are all provided in one package.

The newly appointed Minister of Tuanlian, the former head of the Ministry of Rites, who retired and whose native place is Kaiping, Zhaoqing, Wen Yuande actively responded~
He had just returned from Nanyang Prefecture, and was so moved by Emperor Qianlong that he burst into tears. His loyalty to the emperor needed to be released.

however,
The handwritten letter was sent out, but was rejected in various ways.
The Youth League groups of Shunde, Xiangshan, Dongguan and Gaoming counties have a clear attitude and will never die with Guangzhou.

Liang Hui, the head of the Dongguan group, complained privately to his tribe members:
"Tartar, do you want to treat us as fools?"

"There are 4 soldiers in Guangzhou, surrounded by the northerners and unable to move. And you want us to enter the city and be cannon fodder? Bah~"

"From food and drink to weapons, the militia is all self-funded and does not use a penny of silver from the court. It only needs to protect the hometown."

……

Everyone agrees.
So he practiced diligently and never left the county.

Even though Wen Yuande's mouth was covered with bubbles, he kept writing letter after letter and refused to move.

Guangdong and Guangxi have never been truly loyal to the Qing court.

In the early Qing Dynasty, the Eight Banners were ruthless and everyone paid grain honestly.

Later, the knives became blunt, and the states and counties began to be short of food.
The purpose of forming militia was not to protect the Qing court.

It is for the peace of the clan and the local area.

……

Wen Yuande's hometown, Kaiping County, Zhaoqing Prefecture, was in the midst of a fierce war at that time.

Within the county,
The Cantonese and Hakka people were at loggerheads, and the fighting became increasingly fierce.

The current situation in the four counties (Enping, Xinhui, Xinning, and Kaiping) is the same.

In order to live up to the emperor's kindness, Wen Yuande even donated one-third of his family property to support the militia in the county.

however,
The effect is not ideal.

Although Guangyong had a slight advantage in logistics, pay and weapons, the combat effectiveness and organization of the militia were not ideal.

"When we fight, we swarm together; when we retreat, we swarm together."

There was no tactics, no coordination of long-range and short-range firepower, the formation was crude, and there was a lack of firearms.

every time,

They were able to slightly defeat Ke Yong and suffered less casualties than Ke Yong.

but,

It is impossible to fight a war of annihilation and it is impossible to eradicate the root of the problem.

……

Too much beating,
A certain characteristic of Ke Yong also gradually became apparent - adding points to the low health level.

The oppression was severe, and many people died.
The leader takes the lead,

Then men, women, old and young launched a charge across the mountains and plains~
And this way of fighting will never be outdated in the era of cold weapons.

Guangyong's various firearms can only fire 1 or 2 rounds, and then they are forced to fight with cold weapons, and the formation disappears~
……

Wen Yuande finally realized the crux of the problem and began to look for former Green Camp officers in Siyi and invited them to come out of retirement to train militia with a large sum of money.

No matter how bad the Green Camp is, it is still a regular army and cannot be bullied by the militia.

Anyway,

He took the first step in the regularization of militia training, and soon, he took the second step without any instruction - the Confucianization of officers.

I found a group of scholars from Siyi.

He took up arms and served the court.

He summoned these people one by one to have heart-to-heart talks, encouraging them to be loyal to the court, and it was no problem for them to reward them with official titles afterwards.

It is hoped that the control of local clans over militia can be broken.

In Nanyang Prefecture,

Qianlong had personally promised that if the militia performed well, the court would reward them.

It is also difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of employing scholars to command military forces.

Confucian military officers often fall into two extremes: either as timid as mice or as brutal as wolves.

of course,

Most of them are rats.

……

Outside Guangzhou,

The 5th Legion burst into cheers~
Miao Youlin led all the non-duty lieutenants and lined up to welcome the arrival of the imperial carriage.

Flags are flying and bayonets are sharp.

The military boots landed on the ground with a loud clang, and the soldiers of the Guards Corps raised their heads with arrogant expressions.

The leading mounted officer raised his right hand.

Shouting:

"Stand still."

The officers on the right side of the queue also shouted: "Stand still."

2000 people stopped in their tracks.

This is roughly what it feels like.

Elite veterans plus two hours of daily training every day have created such a tacit understanding.

……

The soldiers at the front spread out to the left and right, wedging into the gap between the front and back rows.

Make way for the middle.

Miao Youlin led 20 officers and walked quickly forward, kneeling on one knee in unison.

"All officers of the 5th Legion pay their respects to His Majesty."

Li Yu rode out from the middle on horseback, the sound of horse hooves neither fast nor slow.

"No gift."

then,

He reined in his horse and looked at Miao Youlin, then said with a smile:

"You've lost weight. Does it seem like the food in Guangdong is not good?"

Miao Youlin quickly replied:
"It's not the food's fault. I just haven't had any good food lately and I'm worried about the siege."

"No problem, let's eat first and talk about military affairs later."

"Yes."

……

Seeing that His Majesty had no intention of dismounting, Miao Youlin tactfully took the reins, led the horse and held the stirrups.

Until a temporary camp was built.

In the big tent,
Li Yu was only wearing a white shirt and sitting high up.

On the left is Miao Youlin, followed by officers of all ranks of the corps. On the right is the imperial guard officer.

The guards took over the kitchen.

Oversee the preparation of each dish.

A guard acted as a food taster, sitting at the kitchen door with a bowl of delicious food he had picked out from the various dishes, and wolfing it down.

Food tasting is a great job.

The probability of being poisoned is extremely low, but the probability of having a full meal is extremely high.

Therefore,
Everyone takes turns to get the good job.

When it's your turn, loosen your copper-buckled belt, take a small stool and have a good meal.

Huaiyang cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, and Shandong cuisine are all welcome.

These days, it's rare to find someone who is picky about meat.
Easy to be beaten up by a group.

……

I received a report a few days ago.
Your Majesty has arrived in Jiangxi and will arrive in Guangzhou soon to supervise the war.

Miao Youlin even paused the siege and sent troops to the countryside to find several famous chefs and collect fresh ingredients.

"Your Majesty, this Qingyuan white-cut chicken is very authentic."

"Your Majesty, this Shunde white chrysanthemum and water snake soup is very fresh, and the Xinhui roast goose is also cooked to perfection."

Miao Youlin tells the story like a gourmet.

As a Guizhou native, his daily meals consist of a bowl of meat, a plate of vegetables, a bowl of dipping sauce, and a bowl of white rice.

He glanced over,
Seeing that boiled chicken, it seemed to be just what the emperor wanted.

……

Eat and drink

Li Yu walked out of the big tent, stretched out his hand and grabbed at the air.
He sighed:
"There's moisture in the air. Tell me about it?"

"Yes."

Miao Youlin roughly described his idea, which was to first capture the four artillery batteries on Yuexiu Mountain.

"What are you going to do?"

"I want to dispatch 3000 troops and 3000 musketeers in the evening, and take Yuexiu Mountain in one fell swoop despite the casualties."

Bang bang bang,
There was a murmur.

Those were the carpenters and laborers in the camp who were rushing to make siege equipment.

Ladders, battering rams, trench crossing vehicles, plow carts, etc.

The materials used are mostly old wood removed from houses outside the city.

……

"Zhao De and his son from Shaozhou Prefecture traveled to Nanchang and were brought back by me. The dispute between the natives and the Hakkas in Guangdong is very complicated. My principle can be summed up in eight words: persuasion by force and resettlement separately."

Miao Youlin lagged behind by two steps and remained silent.

When patrolling a large camp, he heard a huge noise coming from inside from a hundred feet away.

Seeing that Li Yu was unhappy, he immediately explained in a low voice:
"Your Majesty, this is the camp of the expeditionary army. I order that all the Qing army prisoners in northern Guangdong be sent to be slaves of the armored men of the 1st Expeditionary Army to serve as cannon fodder for the attack on Guangzhou City."

Li Yu was not surprised.

First to arrive = cannon fodder.

The top leaders of the Wu army were all clear about the positioning of the expeditionary force, and they kept troop size within a reasonable range by constantly consuming and replenishing it.

……

After walking for so long,
Li Yu felt depressed and irritated, and extremely uncomfortable.

suddenly,
He suddenly had an idea and turned around and asked:

"You said Yuexiu Mountain is full of vegetation, but the water content is too high to burn?"

"Yes."

"Try to light the bushes ahead!"

……

The soldiers who accompanied them lit torches,

It burned for a long time near the branches, and the flames slowly enveloped it. But when the torch was moved away, it quickly went out, leaving only wisps of black smoke.

Li Yu looked strange and ordered:

"Throw some grease."

The bushes, which were doused with a little oil, began to crackle after being engulfed in flames again. The smoke was obviously heavier and more choking.

Li Yu was not paying attention and was choked to tears.

He quickly took a few steps back and took a breath.

Just as Miao Youlin was worried that His Majesty would get angry and embarrassed, he was thinking about how to persuade him.

Li Yu laughed and pointed at Yuexiu Mountain in the distance.

Said in a low voice:

"We will burn the mountain tomorrow."

"Prepare a lot of fire starters, especially bundles of grease and straw. As long as the smoke is big enough, it can kill people."

……

Miao Youlin urgently summoned all the laborers to prepare fire starters, soaking the straw in oil and then drying it in the sun.
Soldiers were sent to the countryside to collect fuel.
Whether it's vegetable oil or animal oil, all of them are needed.

Regrettably,

There is no kerosene in Guangdong.

The ancients only discovered deposits of fierce fire oil in Shaanxi, Gansu and Sichuan.

"Sulfur powder!"

"Arsenic!"

“Chili powder!”

"Gunpowder, the most readily available!"

The staff officers started brainstorming and kept adding more information.

The preparations took two and a half days.

By the afternoon of the third day, Wu's army officially launched the offensive.

The 1st Expeditionary Army received a clear order that each member should carry a bundle of ignition materials to climb Yuexiu Mountain.

……

"Your Majesty, what is this?"

Li Yu whispered:

"I brought a new weapon with me during this battle - the Li rocket. It's just right. Let's take it to Yuexiu Mountain to test its power."

Miao Youlin stared at this strange weapon, feeling that this was the first time he had heard of such an invention by the Military Industry Bureau, and his curiosity was aroused.

Rockets,
The projectile body is made of rolled iron sheet and has a conical head at the front end.

It contains black powder or fierce fire oil.

Depending on the purpose, it can be divided into two uses: burning and blasting.

……

The rocket is 3 feet long and weighs more than 20 kilograms.

Tied to a balance pole at least 15 feet long and secured with wire.

This is the Congreve rocket that Li Yu developed based on his vague impression, more than ten years earlier than Sir Congreve invented it in this time and space.

The biggest change is the addition of three rear wings.

Don't underestimate the rear wing, the change is not a small one.

at least,

The probability of a rocket losing control and turning around, hitting its own people, is reduced by 8%.

Li Yu is standing on the shoulders of giants from more than 200 years later and directly plagiarizing scientific achievements.

……

The Guards were quite alert and even drove away all people within a radius of 150 feet.

Lee's rocket is secret.

It was very difficult for the Qing court to imitate.

But for the Saxons who were in the midst of the Industrial Revolution, as long as they saw the outline, they could imitate it.

Scientific breakthroughs,
Sometimes all it takes is a little inspiration.

One glance can reveal a major leak of information, which is not an exaggeration but a reality.

in history,
The Saxons encountered the rocket weapons of the Mysore Kingdom on the Indian battlefield, suffered heavy casualties and were deeply shocked.

After the war,

Based on the captured prototype, Congreve improved Mysore's bamboo rocket and developed an iron rocket with greater power and longer range.

Afterwards, he displayed his divine power.

The Saxons used this weapon to defeat Napoleon, the Manchu and Mongolian cavalry at Baliqiao, and burned Copenhagen to ruins.

……

When Li Yu's bright yellow banner appeared on the battlefield,

2 Wu soldiers shouted in unison:
"Long live!"

The Hakka men who followed were also infected by the atmosphere, their faces turned red and their blood boiled.

this moment,
Many people fantasized about wearing the red and black uniforms and carrying flintlock rifles.

Amid the rumbling of artillery fire, they charged into Guangzhou and their lives were completely changed from then on.

For them,

There are indeed not many opportunities to change your life, and war may be the one with the lowest threshold.

far away,

On the Guangzhou city wall, the sound of shrill gongs rang out. The Eight Banners soldiers climbed up the city wall fully armed, quietly waiting for that moment to come.

Jade broken~
(End of this chapter)