Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 461 Steam Engine and Harem!

The Huguang Campaign was a huge undertaking that required a careful operational plan and massive logistical support.

The number of troops required is also huge.

Expected,

It requires the mobilization of more than half of the infantry, more than half of the navy, and all of the cavalry.

in addition,

They will also use Hakka troops (Hakka recruits), the 1st Expeditionary Army~
……

When the Shaoxing scholars in the General Staff and the professional officers in the Army Department were discussing fiercely,

Liu Qian, director of the Intelligence Agency, arrived quietly.

"My lord, I would like to pay my respects to Your Majesty."

"Sit down and have some fruit."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After Liu Qian ate a chilled bayberry, he stopped eating.

Start reporting work in a low voice:
"Your Majesty, I just came back from Hubei and made some discoveries!"

"speak."

Li Yu wiped the bayberry juice off his hands and asked someone to bring a map.

……

"There have been no major disasters in Huguang in the past six months. There has been a minor drought in Yunnan and Guizhou, and there has been a locust plague in Sichuan. The spring grain harvest is OK, especially in Huguang. The pseudo-Emperor Qianlong is in Nanyang, and the Governor-General of Huguang, Chen Zuluo, is personally arranging the transportation of grain to the north."

"What a coincidence! I am thinking about food, and Qianlong is also thinking about it."

Liu Qian couldn't help laughing.

It seems that the Huguang Campaign can be renamed the "Food Campaign".

……

"Your Majesty, I have an idea. Why not release our military's strategic intentions now!"

"Oh?"

"This is an open conspiracy! Tell everyone in the world that our Wu army is confident of taking Huguang."

Li Yu stared at Liu Qian for a while.
laughed:

"What a plan!"

Liu Qian's face instantly turned slightly red with excitement.

So that His Majesty may know,

He is not only good at intelligence, but also has some experience in military affairs.

……

Liu Qian pointed at the map.

"Your Majesty, please see that the grain of Hunan Province goes through the Xiangjiang River, first to Changsha, then into Dongting Lake, merges into the Yangtze River, and stops at Wuchang. After that, it goes into the Han River together with the grain of Hubei Province, crosses the river north through Xiangyang, enters the Tangbai River, and finally arrives at Nanyang Prefecture in Henan."

"Is the information accurate?"

"The spies witnessed with their own eyes that the Xiangyang section of the Han River was lined with boats, stretching for dozens of miles. Before I returned to Suzhou, 8 shi of rice had been transported to Nanyang Prefecture. The Qing court planned to transport 120 million shi."

“Are the numbers accurate?”

"I spent 3000 taels to buy the information from the Hubei Grain Administration Office."

Li Yu nodded slowly.

I put another bayberry in my mouth and silently felt the bloom of the cold juice~
in previous years,
The total amount of grain transport allocated by the Qing government to eight provinces was 8 million shi, with Huguang having the largest amount.

If Huguang had a good harvest, the common people might still be able to come up with 120 million shi of grain after some hardship.

After thinking for a while:
"Let Liu Wu come to see me."

……

Liu Wu, the commander-in-chief of the navy, is usually stationed in Chongming.

This time, in order to attend the court meeting, he came to Suzhou Prefecture in advance by speedboat.

When you see me,
He carried a box of wooden ship models.

Li Yu was greatly surprised and examined them carefully one by one with great interest.

The model is exquisite, detailed and ingenious.

The type of ship is also marked.

Qing Army Ships:

The silk boat, the bird boat, the Fu boat, the rice boat, the shuttle boat, the fast crab boat, the sand boat, the Cao boat~
European sea vessels:

Galleons, Clarke ships, Manila galleons, pirate ships, transport boats~
South Sea Pirate Ship:
Catamarans, multi-sail boats, Malay shed boats, canoes~
[Come and help the weak author with the pictures, enthusiastic brothers~]

……

Li Yu was amazed. Which man could resist such romance?

So he asked:

"Who did it?"

"Drawn by Wetter the Saxon and Wessen the Dutchman, and executed by sailor carpenters."

"Similarly, make three copies and leave them for the Naval Academy, Jiangnan Shipyard, and the Naval Base respectively."

"Yes."

Liu Wu pointed to two of the ships and said:

"Your Majesty, please look at this. The Qing army's crab boats and the pirates' galleys seem to have similarities in their capabilities. They should not be underestimated."

"I don't understand. Apart from being good at escaping, what kind of threat can the Clippers pose?"

Liu Wu hesitated for a moment.
Asked in a low voice:

"I brought two people here."

……

After a while,
Li Yu personally interviewed two foreign officers who voluntarily joined Wu Jun’s navy because they admired civilization.

Straight to the point:
"Are pirates rampant in the South China Sea?"

"Your Majesty, pirates are rampant. They are capable of committing all kinds of evil. There is no ship they dare not rob, and no evil they dare not do."

Li Yu smiled.

I always find it a bit funny that two colonists criticize the native pirates for their atrocities.

asked:

"What if we encounter an armed merchant ship?"

"Rob!"

"What if we encounter a battleship?"

"If it's in the shallow sea or fjord, you can still grab it."

Li Yu's smile froze instantly and he asked:
“Is their ship very powerful?”

Young Werther seemed to have grown taller.
Respectfully replied:

"I served on the Royal Navy's fifth-class sailing warship HMS Fear for one and a half years as a trainee officer. I was escorting a merchant ship in the waters west of the Sulu Islands and encountered Moro pirates."

……

"Morro Pirates?"

"Yes, they are pirates mainly composed of Moros, Malays, Sulus, and Borneo headhunters."

"You keep talking."

"The Terror suddenly encountered Moro pirates in a fjord. At least 100 canoes and 50 shed boats suddenly descended from the sky and attacked us."

"How many guns does the shed-boat carry?"

"One or two rotating cannons."

Li Yu chuckled.

"What was the result?"

"We sank at least 12 pirate ships, and then were surrounded by countless ships. The pirates threw up their grapples and climbed up with swords."

When he said this, Witt's face was a little distorted.

The memory is painful!
"The Marines fought hard, and the entire ship suffered 39 casualties. With the help of a strong wind, the Terror rammed and sank several pirate ships and successfully escaped the encirclement. However, the merchant ship was hijacked by pirates, and most of the crew were later redeemed for 1100 pounds."

……

The Dutchman Wesson also added:

"The Batavian authorities once paid 300 silver coins to redeem a priest."

"The tactics of the Moro pirates are like those of wolves, ambushing and biting their prey."

"Moreover, they have a strong desire for revenge."

Li Yu seemed to be thinking about something.

Very familiar feeling.

Human wave tactics, speed advantage, home field terrain~
Hundreds of years later,

It's also a cancer.

It's not just a military issue!
……

Liu Wu whispered:

"I am worried that the Qing army will use a large number of small boats to besiege us, which will be very troublesome, especially in the inland rivers and lakes."

Li Yu suddenly remembered the scene he saw in Hukou.

The Qing army's speedboat conducted reconnaissance and left quickly.

"Liu Wu, your concerns are justified. I summoned you here this time because I want the navy to blockade Xiangyang."

"Please give your Majesty's order."

"The short-term goal is to block the Han River to intercept the Huguang ships and destroy the Hubei Qing navy. The long-term goal is to hold out until autumn and cooperate with the infantry to capture Huguang."

"My lord, I obey."

……

Liu Wu hurried back to Chongming first to prepare to mobilize all the main warships.

There are three warships in Hukou, which can be taken away together.

Bring more supply ships~
The Marines also need to be brought along.

Think about it again.
We also need to find a suitable location near Xiangyang to settle down and build a land fortress.

It is impossible for the fleet to drift in the Yangtze River for several months. All the above must be taken into consideration.

……

And the Dutchman Wesson finally had his good fortune.

He was appointed as the captain of the Hell by His Majesty, and the deputy captain was a senior boatswain of the Wu Army Navy.

On board,

Half of the crew were Saxons and the other half were Wu troops.

Operating a soft sail is cumbersome and requires the help of Saxon sailors.

At the same time, accepting the command of a Dutch captain is more in line with the principle of checks and balances.

In addition,

The Marines are also Wu’s army.

Li Yu absorbed the advanced experience of the Royal Navy - Marines boarding ships.

Half of the mission is landing operations, and half of the mission is to prevent sailors from rebelling.

It is early summer now.
The water level of the Yangtze River is gradually rising.

The Hell sailed upstream, greatly reducing the risk of running aground.

This battleship is very special.
It was a standard warship that the Saxon delegation was forced to "lease" to the Wu army because they had suffered heavy casualties and could not leave.

……

Wei Sen, who was successfully promoted to captain, also had his romantic luck and got engaged to the female translator Zhang Xiaomei.

It's hard to tell who took the initiative to find whom.
Anyway, the result is the same.

Fierce sailors wielded their spears and boarded the ship to engage in hand-to-hand combat.

The agreement between the two parties:

They will get married after the Huguang Campaign is over.

Out of a sense of responsibility,
Zhang Xiaomei offered to help her future husband keep his personal belongings and moved into the house he bought outside the city.

……

Wei Sen was reluctant to leave and left after a day of trouble.

Before leaving,
Zhang Xiaomei smiled as beautifully as a flower and gave him enough face.

At the dock, I told him in Chinese:

"Work hard to achieve military merit and don't be afraid of death."

Wei Sen was wearing a brand new Wu Army Navy uniform sprayed with gardenia perfume.

Salute, and say solemnly:

"Slaves who have made military achievements cannot be afraid of death."

Zhang Xiaomei frowned slightly and corrected:
“It’s hard work, not slavery.”

However, Wei Sen was unable to tell the phonetic difference between the two words. They were both slaves to pronunciation.

I can only give up!

……

Zhang Xiaomei turned around and went to Emperor Wu's palace and handed over a letter.

Statement:
Thank you, Your Majesty, for the promotion. As a wife, she will definitely supervise Wei Sen in killing the enemies bravely and always remind Wei Sen not to forget Your Majesty's kindness.

The lady-in-waiting accepted the letter.
Anyway,

People in the palace had a bad impression of this female translator who always wore a modified military uniform.

In the words of Rong Mama,
This woman's snobbery is written all over her face.

Moreover, she is unlucky in marriage. Her previous foreign husband was killed by her, and the current one is unlikely to live long either.

But when Rong Mama thought about it,

Her current husband is the captain of the Wu army. Isn't this a curse to your majesty that the war will go badly?

then,

He then changed his words and said that women should not wear tight military uniforms, which were immoral and inverted the relationship between yin and yang.

Anyway,

Rong Mama thinks this woman deserves a needle prick~
but,

After a few days, she calmed down.

Madam Rong suddenly had another idea. She thought of making a set of military uniforms for the young soldiers in the imperial corps, with tight military uniforms, tight belts, and wide-brimmed hats and black riding boots!

It seems pretty good-looking.

Who knows, Your Majesty might like this!
Rong Mama lived a lifetime.

I realized a truth: although gentlemen criticize those immoral things, they actually like them in private.

The more hurt, the happier.

but,

Your Majesty also likes the hypocritical Concubine Yi, the emperor's mind is really hard to predict.

……

Wang Zhenyi had no idea that she had become one of the hot topics in the palace.

Many people discussed privately.
What does Your Majesty want from her?

Is it her dull eyes? Is it her plain face? Is it her face shaking when she walks?
but,

Hu Xueyu, the father-in-law and Minister of Commerce, did privately remind Queen Hu Ling'er.

"The two concubines of the Zhao family are not a concern. They serve the emperor with their beauty. Their family background is a flaw. They are not a concern."

"Wang Zhenyi is half concubine and half minister. Besides, she is a peaceful person, so there is no need to worry about her."

"Only Concubine Yang usually does things flawlessly, keeps a low profile, is reserved and steady, and holds the Ministry of Internal Affairs. You must be on guard! Moreover, this woman is very fertile."

……

Hu Xueyu even privately told her daughter,
It is impossible for the harem to interfere in politics for long.

In the near future, the State of Wu basically controlled the area south of the Yangtze River and the situation became stable.

As the Empress of the Central Palace, you must set an example by voluntarily resigning from the post of Director of the Finance and Taxation Bureau, and at the same time ask Concubine Yang to follow your example and resign from her job at the Ministry of the Interior.

Hand over these two core departments to Your Majesty!

Concubine Yang had no relatives and without the Ministry of the Interior, she was completely without external support.

but,

You still have a father, and the huge Shaoxing Gang behind him.

……

Literati from Shaoxing accounted for a large proportion of the low- and middle-level civil servants in the central departments of the Wu State.

in other words,

Your Majesty sets the guidelines and the ministers make the final decision.

But the subsequent execution process is mainly done by people from Shaoxing.

Shaoxing lawyer gang,
I have been educated, but I have no real feelings towards Confucianism.

He understands human nature and is good at accounting and financial management.

There are very few ordinary people who can meet both of these criteria.

Therefore,
It is reasonable that a large number of legal advisors were able to enter the Wu court and secure key positions in various departments.

……

Xishan Island,
Four speedboats arrived at the dock one after another.

Li Yu walked quickly in front, and the guards jogged after him.

Come and see Xiangrui!

With the cooperation of the Military Industry Bureau, Wang Zhenyi finally produced the first steam engine prototype.

Outside a flooded abandoned coal mine tunnel,
Li Yu stared at the steam engine in front of him that was more than 1 feet tall. The surface of the machine was covered with processing marks.

"Have you tested the machine?"

"Your Majesty, please stand back a little while I start the fifth test."

……

Li Yu pulled Wang Zhenyi back 20 feet.

just in case,

The steam engine exploded, and that was no joke.

In the palm of my hand, I felt the slight tremor coming from the person who drew the blueprint.

"Can you understand my painstaking efforts?"

"Your Majesty, I understand. I have no regrets in dying for being able to participate in a project that benefits the country and the people."

Li Yu looked at the steam engine emitting black smoke and asked:

“How did you solve the airtightness problem?”

"Use a copper ring. Copper is easy to process, corrosion-resistant, and has a certain degree of flexibility."

“Are the other parts difficult to process?”

"Thanks to the boring machine in the workshop, the processing accuracy is very high. If it were done purely by hand, I dare not imagine how big the tolerance and clearance would be."

1 quarters of an hour later,
Seeing the steam engine running smoothly,

A steady stream of accumulated water was pumped out of the mine, which was much more efficient than the previous method of pumping water using animal and human power.

……

Li Yu knew that

This is the benefit of standing on the shoulders of giants.

Condenser, centrifugal governor, bellows structure, motion rod~
They all draw blueprints based on finished products and then simplify them to adapt to productivity. This is a typical reverse engineering project.

The boring machine solves the extremely important cylinder sealing problem.

Rubber seals are not necessary and can be replaced by copper rings.

Even a hemp rope soaked in grease can be used as a substitute.

Although these two cannot achieve the same effect as rubber, it does not affect the use.

Folk science and traditional methods are put into practice.

New civilization, moving forward with stumbling blocks~
(End of this chapter)