Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 458 Before returning to Suzhou, stir up trouble in Fujian

Take a look around,

Li Yu, on the other hand, is most worried about the Hakka people.

Not the whole, but the part.

Those villages that benefited from this would certainly support Wu Ting.

but,

It is hard to imagine what the Hakka people who did not benefit from this felt.

Not everyone in western Guangdong (Cantonese) and eastern Guangdong (Chaoshan) benefited, but those people were unable to make a big wave as they were suppressed by their fellow ethnic groups who benefited.

because,

They all live on the plains, are closely connected with each other, and have frequent exchanges.

Northern Guangdong is a mountainous area.

This means that the connections between Hakka villages are not actually that close.

in case,

If some villages are secretly preparing for something big, they can keep it secret for a long time.

……

but,

Even if it occurs, its scale and intensity can be controlled without external interference.

Those Shaoxing scholars in the General Staff Headquarters are all experts.

They submitted a confidential analysis.
Pointed out that

Even if there is trouble among the Hakka people in northern Guangdong, it is not a big deal. But we need to be wary of the Qing government in Fujian getting involved.

Wu Guoai was behind the scenes,
Therefore,
I am also afraid of others messing with me.

By coincidence,

The Qing court was also very good at tinkering, and it had been tinkering since the beginning when slaves came. The Mongolian grasslands, which were geographically closest to Liaodong, suffered greatly from it.

Yellow Sect, Korean Loan, Plum Affairs, Shanxi Merchants, Grazing in Different Regions, and a Good Rebirth in the Next Life~
The grassland is on the verge of death.

However, Mongolians are not good at speaking.

He has no words to express his pain~
……

History is such a dark humor.

Those who love to tinker with other people's empires are often the ones who fear being tinkered with by others.

because,

The small group of elites who can see the whole picture know very well:

Under the sky and above the dust, no empire can withstand the tampering.

They are all here to mess around.

Who the hell doesn’t have weaknesses?
Who the hell doesn’t have some old injuries?

Who the hell can withstand the repeated torture?
Therefore,
Once you find someone behind your back, find them out and kill them all!
……

Li Yu ordered an infantry company to be deployed in Meiguan.

Once something happens,
It can quickly cut off the passage between the two provinces and prevent the flow of food.

Simultaneously,

The decree requires:

(Guangdong) Raoping County, Dapu County, Zhenping County, Pingyuan County~
(Jiangxi) Changning County, Huichang County, Ruijin County, Shicheng County, Guangchang County, Xincheng County, Luxi County, Qianshan County, Shangrao County~
(Zhejiang) Yueqing County, Qingtian County, Lishui County, Xuanping County, Suichang County~
There is also Xianxia Pass, which is actually controlled by Wu Jun.

All garrisons and county governments must strictly prohibit the smuggling of grain (into Fujian)!

If it weighs more than 50 jin, it will be killed on the spot.

For those with more than 50 shi, the relationships behind the scenes must be strictly investigated.

For those with an amount of more than 500 shi, the relevant civil and military officials will be held accountable and the matter will be reported to their own case.

Reward for reporting clues!

Half of the seized proceeds (capped at 50 koku) will belong to the informant.

……

in fact,

The State of Wu had been doing business with Fujian.

Wang Danwang sold the province's timber, tung oil and tea to the State of Wu, and purchased food, weapons and all kinds of daily necessities from the State of Wu.

Li Yu means,

Grain business can only be conducted through official channels, and smuggling is prohibited.

Every month,
The amount of grain sold to Wang Danwang was calculated precisely.

The dog was overfed.
Prone to showing teeth to the owner.

The grain exported from Wu State can ensure that the basic people under Lao Wang’s command will not starve to death and there will be no trouble.

but,

It does not include Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, and the territories of the Shi and Huang families.

……

Fujian’s biggest weakness is extreme food shortage.

Plains only account for 10% of the province's area, mostly distributed along the coast.

90% of the land is mountainous, and it is difficult to grow anything except sweet potatoes.
The grain produced in this province (excluding senior officials) each year can only feed one-third of the people at most.

Li Yu planned to use food as a rope to tie Fujian's neck.

Fight for world domination,

Fujian just squatted aside, fishing and enjoying the scenery.

Don't have any inappropriate thoughts and go down the mountain to disrupt the situation.

……

Li Yu is using his invisible hands to manipulate the situation.
He strictly controlled the flow of grain into Fujian, hoping to provoke a war between Shi, Huang, and Wang.

Among these three families, the Huang family is the most short of food.

now,

The Fujian Navy has been divided into two.

The Jinghai Marquis faction controlled Quanzhou and was forced to show goodwill to Wang Danwang and privately purchased the "Wu export version" of weapons at a premium.

The Haicheng clan, which had more troops, suffered heavy losses after being attacked by the East India Company's fleet.

The two factions miraculously achieved a balance of power.

No one can defeat anyone else, so they can only prepare for war madly.

The Haicheng Duke faction (Zhangzhou Prefecture and southern Quanzhou) is increasingly short of food and will most likely eventually set their sights on the isolated Tainan Island overseas.

There is a surplus of grain production in the southern part of Dayuan Island.

But that is the territory of the Shi family, Marquis of Jinghai.

……

Only the Governor General Wang Danwang
He said proudly to his subordinates and gentry:
It's him!

In these troubled times, they maneuvered and planned carefully to feed the folks in northern and western Fujian.

Away from him,
Fujian would be filled with starving people.

Anyone who opposed him would offend three parties at the same time - the Qing court, the Wu court, and the people of Fujian.

You should be thankful.

otherwise,

Zhangzhou Prefecture is a lesson learned.

……

Zhangzhou Prefecture,
It is sandwiched between Chaozhou Prefecture (Wu) and Quanzhou Prefecture (Marquis of Jinghai).

The two sides coincided and implemented an armed blockade.

Not a grain of rice or a piece of cloth could get in.

Although Zhangzhou Plain is the largest plain in Fujian.

However, in the past two years, typhoon disasters have occurred frequently, resulting in serious reduction in grain production.

In addition,

The plains are densely populated.

The Fujian Navy consumed huge amounts of food, but still did not have enough food.

……

Guleitou, Zhangzhou Prefecture,

Admiral's battleship deck,

A thousand-man commander covered in blood knelt on one knee:

"General, today the unruly people of Yunxiao attacked the government granary. I led my troops to kill more than 1000 people."

Huang Shijian looked at the land and whispered:

"There are no unruly people, they are all hungry people."

General Qian was stunned.

Huang Shijian comforted her again:
"I'm not criticizing you. You did the right thing! Apart from reducing the number of people, we have no other options now."

"General, I dare to ask Cai Qian to buy food."

……

Huang Shijian instantly became furious and drew his knife to hold the captain's neck.

"You want me to surrender to a pirate?"

Qian Zong's eyes were red, and he made a generous resignation:

"General, Han Xin has suffered humiliation under his crotch. First, buy food to tide over the current difficulties, and then send troops across the sea to capture Fengshan in the south of Dayuan Island, and we will have food!"

Huang Shijian's anger gradually subsided.

He put away his sword,

Laughing bitterly:
"Actually, you're right. At this juncture, we're no better off than that pirate Cai Qian."

"Military Gate?"

"Let's send you. You and Cai Qian are both from Tongan, and you are real fellow villagers."

"Whoo."

……

Quanzhou Prefecture, Yakou Village, Jinjiang County.

The ancestral hall of the old house of the Shi family, Marquis of Jinghai.

Hundreds of men aged 13 and above gathered together.

After a simple ancestor worship ceremony,
Shi Lingyang asked:

"Everyone, the sky is about to change dramatically. Where should we go?"

Someone immediately answered:

"My Lord, Fujian is a strategic location in the southeast, the Wu bandits can't get in!"

Someone echoed:

"Yes, if all the men in my Shi family were organized, we could form an army, control Fujian, and watch the situation."

……

Shi Lingyang said nothing, turned around and looked at the huge portrait of the previous Marquis Jinghai hanging in the middle.

He had previously spread the word that he wanted to give up Dailu and move his entire clan to the southern part of Dayuan Island.

Today’s Tainan is no longer the barren land it was more than 100 years ago.

After generations of tireless development, all the land most suitable for farming in the southern plains has become fertile farmland.

It can be said,
In the entire Qing Dynasty, there was no prefecture where grain prices were lower than in Dayuan.

……

He looked around at the familiar faces.
Said solemnly:
"In this case, my Shi family will mobilize all forces."

"From now on, all males over the age of 15 in the Shi family will be recruited into the army. Then, we will recruit the slaves, tenants, distant relatives of the clan, and half of the males in Jinjiang County to form an army."

Everyone cheered in unison.

These people were unwilling to relocate and were reluctant to give up their family businesses in Quanzhou.

Valuables and gold and silver can be taken away, but houses, shops and fields cannot be moved away, and they are just given away to the poor.

Reluctant to part with it!
……

As the Shi Family Army took shape,
The entire Quanzhou Prefecture was shaken, some were happy, some were uneasy.

Anyway,

Fujian is becoming increasingly chaotic.

The Wang, Huang and Shi families were fighting each other and they were not able to get along with each other.

According to the "Non-Aggression Treaty between Fujian and Wu", the Wu State observers stationed in Fuzhou finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Your Majesty does not want to see a monolithic Fujian!

Your Majesty wants to see rivers of blood!
Observers frequently went in and out of Wang Danwang's residence, putting pressure on him to demand land.

Your Majesty has taken a fancy to a small plain in Fujian - the Xinghua Plain.

This place is located on the coast, in the middle of the coastline, and occupies a quarter of the area of ​​Putian County, Xinghua Prefecture.

……

The time is not right yet.

It must wait until the Shi and Huang families are beaten into blood gourds.

Li Yu planned to transport a regiment of the 3rd Corps to Putian by sea.

Establish agricultural land, build fortified cities and docks.

Coordinate land and sea operations to control a small enclave.

Since then,

More convenient to control and intervene.

Other than that,

It also added an important node to the Wu State's shipping routes, providing a stopover for merchant ships from the south of the Yangtze River traveling south and north.

The Great Voyage Plan,
The initial route is:
Jinshanwei——Putian Port——Chaozhou Port——Guangzhou Port——?
now,

Three pieces have been placed on the path.

The only thing left is Putian Port.

……

Fujian is covered with dark clouds.

One of the parties involved, a secret envoy from the Jinghai Marquis's Mansion, quietly arrived at Guangzhou Prefecture and asked to see Li Yu.

Li Yu did not summon him.

Because first, they didn't come to surrender, second, they didn't offer gifts, and third, they didn't send women.

What the hell.

Lu Zhou, a guard from the Secretariat, met the messenger inside the military camp.

The messenger was also very frank.

It was stated clearly that Marquis Jinghai wanted to do business directly with the State of Wu and not let Wang Danwang be the middleman.

Exchange Dayuan's food for Wu's guns and cannons.

As for the price, it is determined by Wu Guo.

The attitude is good and the posture is humble enough.

but,

This is obviously waiting for a good price, so let's wait and see for ten days or half a month.

……

Standing on the Guangzhou city wall, looking around.

Li Yu suddenly asked:

"May, why is it so gloomy?"

"Your Majesty, the weather was not like this in previous years. For some reason this year, the temperature is lower and there is less sunshine."

“Will spring grain have any impact?”

“Yes, the production is 1% to 2% lower than in previous years.”

Li Yu frowned and whispered to the guards around him:
"Please urge the spring grain production reports from various provinces to be sent to me as soon as possible."

"Yes."

Due to the differences in climate and grain types between the north and the south, the spring grain harvest season is not the same in each province.

There are early rice and late rice.

Farmers in different places adapt to local conditions and choose the most suitable rice to plant.

The large-scale introduction of sweet potatoes has made rice useful in mountainous areas, dry lands and thin fields where rice cannot be grown.

Eating too much sweet potato will cause heartburn.

But it's better than going hungry.

……

After the war, Guangzhou city returned to its former bustle.

The Cantonese people have a high acceptance of Wu Jun, based on the premise that both parties agree with the business culture.

E.g,

Abide by the contract and follow the rules.

Keen on making money and spending.

The soldiers of Wu army rotate out of the camp. For example, today is the odd-numbered camp on holiday, and tomorrow is the even-numbered camp.

Chenshi,

The soldiers began to leave the camp freely.

Shen Shi,

The soldiers returned to the camp one after another.

The Wu army had good military pay, and rewards were given according to merit, with the reward money being distributed to individuals early on.

Some people even hide their secrets on the battlefield.

When the war was almost won, Shun hid a bar of gold and silver in his arms.

It is difficult to completely eliminate this situation.

Officers and military judges at all levels knew this very well.

The principle is,

If the water is clear, there will be no fish!

As long as it does not affect the combat operations or delay military orders, it can be ignored.

But don't overdo it!

……

every day,

Groups of Wu soldiers, carrying flintlock rifles, wandered the streets of the downtown area.

First have a sumptuous breakfast, then listen to two erotic performances.

At noon, we went to the alley to find a delicious and inexpensive restaurant to have a meal and some drinks.

In the afternoon, we wandered back to the camp.

The military judge would stand at the camp gate on time.
Whenever he saw a soldier with a red face and a thick neck, he would step forward and stop him.

then,

Soldiers are required to walk in a straight line along the white line on the ground.

If you walk straight, you can enter the camp.

If you can’t walk straight, you will be beaten with a military stick 10 times.

every day,

Some people were punished for overestimating their alcohol tolerance, while their companions watched the fun with a smile.

Everyone drank.
You just can't walk straight, so you can't blame anyone else for getting beaten with a military stick.

……

downtown,

Military law teams patrol from time to time.

Any soldiers they encountered fighting, eating without paying, or engaging in other prohibited behavior (going to gambling houses) were arrested.

To ordinary people in the 18th century, such an army was a model.

Although not as good as the legendary Qi Family Army, no one has ever seen the real one.

The Guangzhou market became extremely lively due to Wu Jun's frequent consumption.

The shopkeepers all laughed happily.

These soldiers have money in their pockets and are willing to spend it.

Especially those "Imperial Guards of the Emperor Wu" whose uniforms are obviously luxurious, they are more generous and have a lot of knowledge about food.

……

Soldiers carrying guns were everywhere. The order in Guangzhou city was so good for the first time in 500 years.

Ruffians, gang members, and escort agencies disappeared.

They all fled to nearby Foshan and Huaxian to hide temporarily. It is said that they were worried about being exiled to become slaves of the 1st Expeditionary Army and the Armored Men.
It's hard to find out.

How did the reputation of the 1st Expeditionary Army spread?

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they are locked up in the camp and are not allowed to consume directly on the market.

……

Cannon fodders spend money without limit.

The main point is that you should spend money today if you have it today and never be frugal.

Officers can leave the camp.
With the silver ingots wrapped in a sack,

He walked to the restaurant and threw it directly in front of the shopkeeper:
"Ten tables of food and wine were quickly delivered to the camp."

Go to the brothel,

Grabbing the madam, rubbing her hard,
With a shy face, he said with a smile:

"Auntie, let's go to the board and close the business."

"We have booked all the girls on this street today."

"Don't be afraid. We never work for free. We have plenty of money."

The old Cantonese people in the city were also enlightened to see the large number of girls queuing up to leave the city and go to the legendary mobile Ningguta.

The old customers of the brothel had to return home disappointed and went to the nearby Foshan and Shunde instead.

(End of this chapter)