Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 468 The plan is very big, we must be on guard~
The abnormal astronomical phenomenon caused great panic in the Nanyang region.

A year with less summer means less grain production.

in case,

At this time, a prophet told the world,
This is just the beginning. The South Pacific region has entered a period of frequent crustal movement. In the next two or three decades, many volcanoes will erupt frequently.

There may even be a rare year without summer.
All the wealthy families would immediately seal up their granaries, reinforce their walls, hire thugs, and purchase weapons.

the reason is simple,
Natural disasters,

It is a disaster for most people, but a blessing for very few.

Carry it over.
A sampan turns into a giant ship, and ten miles of land turns into a thousand-mile territory.

Food prices, whoosh, just skyrocketed.

……

now,

Few people realize that:
Jinshanwei's inherent disadvantages are gradually being exposed.

Except for the fleets of various East India Companies that were willing to come to Jinshanwei for import and export (there was no other way), all other merchant ships chose to go to Guangzhou Port.

Not only because of the familiarity of the former port of entry~
It is also a safe haven.

To go to Jinshanwei, you have to cross the Dayuan Strait.

The wind and waves in the strait and pirates are a huge threat to merchant ships.

Unless absolutely necessary,
Otherwise, any ship owner engaged in maritime trade between Nanyang and Wu State would choose Guangzhou Port without hesitation!
Even if
Earn 3% less profit.

Firstly, it saves time costs, and secondly, it reduces risks by more than 3%.

……

Li Yu received a letter from overseas from the Lan Fang chess player he arranged, Wang Shenxian.

A rice merchant ship carrying letters first went to Guangzhou by sea, and then was delivered to Suzhou Prefecture by land.

of course,

There is no god before imperial power.

The signature is:
Your Majesty's loyal subject, King of the Three Realms.

After all, Lao Wang was unable to escape the Three Realms.

……

This letter is very long, with more than 6000 words, which is more than Xiaoxiaosheng’s daily update.

Wang Sanjie begins his letter,
The eruption of the Java volcano was emphasized, pointing out that it would definitely have a huge impact on the surrounding grain harvests, thus affecting the situation in Southeast Asia.

Here is a piece of knowledge that goes against common sense.
Borneo (Kalimantan), although located in the tropics, has abundant rainfall and plenty of sunshine.

But in fact,

This is a very poor land with poor agricultural conditions and fragile soil with no fertility.

It’s mainly because of the rainforest ecology, I won’t go into details.

Java, Luzon and Siam, which are close in latitude to it, are all high-grain-yield areas.

However, Borneo has long been unable to be self-sufficient and has had to import food.

……

Therefore,
Wang Sanjie, who is doing well in the Lan Fang Company, is so sensitive to food prices.

Lan Fang local,

The price of rice has increased by 2% when it arrives at the port.

If nothing else,

2% is just the beginning, how much it will increase in the future depends mainly on God's will.

No one knows how many tons of volcanic ash are spread in the atmosphere, or the specific scope and time of impact.

even,

Besides Mount Merapi, are there any other volcanoes erupting?
do not know either.

There are too many uninhabited islands in the South Seas.

There is no satellite again!
Li Yu was not surprised, because Huguang would be taken over before the end of the year anyway.

Even though the price of imported rice has skyrocketed,

We can also make up the difference by relying on the fat meat of Huguang, so that we can survive.

……

Reading further down the letter, you will find Lao Wang’s personal opinion on Lan Fang.

Lan Fang,

Not like a country, but more like a company.

Like many East India companies, it is a characteristic product of this era.

Most of the Lan Fang senior leaders were Han Chinese from Guangdong, or to be more precise, Hakkas.

The commander-in-chief, Luo Fangbo, was a Hakka from Jiaying Prefecture. He failed in the imperial examinations many times and became impoverished. In his middle age, he went to Southeast Asia.

Chance and personal efforts made this career possible.

Wang Sanjie had a good opinion of this person:
Righteous, fair, courageous, skillful, eloquent, not greedy for money or power~
The only negative comments are:

pedantic.

……

Luo Fangbo still believed that the Qing Dynasty was the legitimate government, and repeatedly blocked requests from within the company to openly contact the Wu Kingdom and develop more business dealings.

the reason is simple,
He didn't think that the Wu Kingdom would have the last laugh.

The Qing Dynasty was a behemoth. No matter how embarrassed it was in the early stages, it would still have the last laugh, because the Qing Dynasty was too big.
This reminded Li Yu suddenly
When Lan Fang was first established, it took the initiative to send people to Beijing to pay tribute, hoping to become an overseas vassal state of the Qing Dynasty.

however,
Qianlong didn't want to deal with a group of overseas scoundrels at all.

……

Wang Sanjie also mentioned one thing:

Commander-in-chief Luo Fangbo was secretly planning the next tribute to the Qing Dynasty.

The old king is worried.

Lan Fang's timely assistance would be viewed differently by Emperor Qianlong, and might even be used to counterbalance Wu's maritime trade in Southeast Asia.

From a personal perspective,

He could not come forward to advise Luo Fangbo,

Because since moving to Lan Fang, Lao Wang has always appeared as a broker from his motherland with extensive connections and good information.

Lan Fang's top brass all believed that
Wang Shenxian's backers are some military princes in the capital, and he also has a small personal relationship with a few important officials in the Wu court.

Background color, 7% Qing and 3% Wu.

The main color is still clear~
……

Li Yu's face turned gloomy in an instant.

Lan Fang's foolish loyalty may poke her own lungs~
The rise of the Wu State took place on land.

It is no exaggeration to describe China's maritime power as weak.

At present, the Wu army navy does not even have the strength to expel the pirates from Guangdong and Fujian, as well as the remnants of the Fujian navy, let alone send troops to Southeast Asia to defend the shipping routes?

in case,

Qianlong was calm enough.

This old student from Jiaying Prefecture who failed the imperial examination was granted the same status as a Jinshi, was made an overseas king, his parents were posthumously conferred titles, he was encouraged with kind words, and even given more courtesies.

It is entirely possible that Luo Fangbo was grateful to his superiors.

An impulse,

He broke Lan Fang's previous image of mediocrity and vowed to serve the king.

Lan Fang's armed forces may not dare to attack the East India Company of various countries, but if they attack the Chaoshan Fleet and the Jiangnan Fleet in Southeast Asia~
……

Never overestimate the awe and respect for imperial power of a scholar who has left his hometown after failing the imperial examinations for half his life.

This kind of thing,
From the perspective of an onlooker, one sneers.

Only when it falls on your head, you will realize how big a shock it is.

Like,
The white moonlight of your youth suddenly appears, with an ageless face and a sweet smile. She takes the initiative to hold your hands and says, "Long time no see, I missed you so much."

Although we have only seen some signs so far, we must be on guard.

Li Yu rang the bell,

outside the house,

A guard hurried in.

"Your Majesty~"

"Tomorrow morning, hold a meeting of all directors and captains and above in the Soviet Union."

"Yes."

……

Li Yu concealed the source of the information.
Just briefly mentioning,
The eruption of the South Pacific volcano affected the grain harvest.

then,

Throw out your own ideas:

"Speed ​​up the layout for conquering Huguang!"

The civil and military officials held heated discussions to find out and fill in the gaps.

Economic Minister Fan Jing thought for a moment and said:

"Your Majesty, the purpose of attacking Huguang is not only to occupy land, but also to seize grain. In addition to the army, it also involves the coordination of multiple departments. I think it is necessary to appoint a minister with sufficient prestige to take charge of the overall situation and coordinate all parties."

Dozens of pairs of eyes looked at Army Minister Lin Huaisheng.

obviously,
Unless Your Majesty personally supervises the battle, the best candidate is Lao Lin.

……

Li Yu nodded:

"Huaisheng, I will appoint your general."

Lin Huaisheng stood up and uttered two words:

"According to the order."

Then sit down quietly.

Everyone is used to his usual silence.

meeting,

It took 2 hours.
From strategic goals to the scale of troop deployment, to speeches by directors of various departments~
Anyway,

Basically, we have thought of everything that should be thought of.

……

Minister of the General Staff, Tan Muguang, brought a "Schematic Diagram of the Huguang Campaign".

above,

The direction of the troops was marked with a striking red arrow.

among them,

The 2nd Corps set out from Jiujiang, crossed the provincial border and entered Hubei, with the goal of Wuchang. All the troops stationed in Yangzhou of the 4th Corps boarded the ship, with the goal of Xiangyang.

The 5th Corps drew a detachment from Guangzhou, with its target being Chenzhou Prefecture in Hunan.

The Light Cavalry Corps set out from its base in Nanchang, crossed Pingxiang, entered Hunan, and its target was Changsha.

in addition,

The reorganized 1st Expeditionary Corps was mobilized to Xiangyang to assist in the battle.

5000 new recruits from the guest regiment who were training in Ganzhou were mobilized to Changsha to help in the battle.

……

"Your Majesty, colleagues, let me briefly explain."

"This battle is different from any previous battle. The strategy adopted by our army is to make a large detour and use troops on multiple fronts."

"The first step is to control the hub cities and important passes in Huguang, form a preliminary encirclement, and cut off the main transportation lines to the surrounding provinces."

"The second step is to focus on the attack, advance by land and sea, and capture the two provincial capitals of Wuchang and Changsha."

"The third step is to issue a decree, tighten the encirclement, and kill the remaining ones."

"When Huguang is prosperous, the rest of the world will be prosperous. Therefore, an extremely important goal of our army's operations is food!"

"The route for Huguang's spring grain to be transported from Xiangyang to Nanyang has been blocked by the navy."

"In a few months, autumn crops will be available on the market again."

"In order to prevent the Qing government from evacuating grain to other provinces, after capturing Xiangyang and Jingzhou, our army must send a small group of elite light troops to block the transportation routes from Huguang to Sichuan and Guizhou provinces. Try to intercept the bulk of grain in Huguang."

……

Seeing that Tan Muguang had finished his story, Li Yu stood up.

Looking around,
asked:

"Do you understand everything?"

"understand!"

"Okay, today is the first day of July. The order should be delivered within 5 days. All units should prepare to set out."

"Soldiers and horses have not moved, food and grass go first."

"Lin Huaisheng is the commander, the General Staff Headquarters takes the lead, and the Military Industry Department, Transportation Department, Food Department, and local county governments along the way work together to prepare food and supplies for the army."

"Within 20 days, the first batch of logistical supplies will arrive. On July , all units will set out in turn and follow orders."

"Take over Huguang, scare the Qing army and make the world fear you."

"The meeting is dismissed!"

Everyone stood up and shouted long live the emperor.

More people followed and joined the shouts of "Long live the country".

……

When leaving the palace,
Many people were very excited, excited by the huge scale of this campaign. In one go, Huguang was taken over, and all the people, food, and land were taken over.

inside the palace,
Li Yu and Lin Huaisheng sat and talked and drank tea.

"Is the dysentery gone?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I'm fine." Lin Huaisheng thought about it and said truthfully, "The medicine from the Department of Health is good."

"Well, Wu Ao is serious about his work."

"Your Majesty~"

"Ok?"

"Can you give me the first batch of finished medicine? The army is on the march and it's the end of summer. I'm afraid~"

Li Yu nodded.

The area around Dongting Lake is a high-incidence area for many diseases, and countless invisible germs lurk in the water.

If nothing unexpected happens, there will be a big battle in Dongting Lake.

……

"Do you have any thoughts about the Huguang Campaign? Feel free to ask."

"I would like to ask Your Majesty whether we should control the casualties of the 4th Legion?"

Li Yu smiled.

I thought to myself, although you, Lin Huaisheng, are taciturn, you are still willing to think about things.

4th Legion,

It is the second special combat sequence in the Wu army sequence.

but,

This time even the first special combat sequence will be thrown onto the battlefield.

Second, it is not rare.

Li Yu was very direct:
"The 4th Corps is from Jiangnan. They lack sharpness and are more cunning than brave. The combat objectives you assign must be completed, but you can give them some autonomy in how to execute them."

……

Lin Huaisheng said simply:
"Understood. I will give power to Huang Si."

"There is one more thing. The 4th Army Corps' deputy commander, Li Xiaowu, has been temporarily transferred to be the commander of the Youth Guard Battalion. I want these young men to have more experience. They are too aggressive and lack experience. Please help take care of them."

"Your Majesty, don't worry."

Lin Huaisheng obviously came prepared.

This raises another key question:
"How should I deal with those who surrender?"

"Cut off your braids, pay taxes, and don't promise any official position. You can decide the rest freely."

"I understand."

……

Walking out of the palace,

Lin Huaisheng looked at the gloomy sky and felt that this summer was not as hot as in previous years.

but,

Your Majesty's four principles for dealing with demoted officials are probably...
After the Imperial Conference ended,

On the same day,

The Suzhou Prefecture was in an uproar.

The next day, the day after,
The eight prefectures in Jiangnan also became excited.

The reason is very simple, the hustle and bustle is just for money~
……

The newly established agency of the Wu State - the Purchasing Bureau.

He was waving money around and shopping everywhere, very high-profile.

Work in groups of 3 on field work.

One of them was a civil servant, and the other two were experienced clerks temporarily recruited from different shops.

These two guys,

One person is the main manager and one person is the deputy manager.

Clear division of responsibilities
……

Jinhua Prefecture,
In the yard of a time-honored ham workshop,

Suddenly, two members of the Purchasing Department came, followed by a fat man.

"Old Zhou, the God of Wealth is here."

The shopkeeper was obviously confused.
He knew that the fat man was the vice president of the local Chamber of Commerce, but where did the God of Wealth he mentioned come from?
I saw the man in the new uniform with his hands behind his back.

The shrewd servant beside him picked up the ham, looked at it, smelled it, and asked questions.

then,

A sentence popped up:
“Medium quality.”

……

"Shopkeeper Zhou, please quote!"

"How much do you want to buy, sir?"

"We're going to have a war. I'll take as many as you have, mercenary."

"I, I have more than 8000 kilograms in my shop, would you like to buy them all?"

The fat man accompanying him got anxious and gave the shopkeeper a slap on the head:
"Old Zhou, if you keep talking nonsense, we'll move to the next one."

"1 wen per jin."

The purchasing officer glanced at the manager who came with him:

“Is the price reasonable?”

"Reasonable."

"Manager Zhou, I want all 8000 kilograms of ham. Deliver it on time according to the time and place listed above. No delay~"

The assistant manager stood aside, listening to the whole process in silence.

His job is to supervise.

……

Shopkeeper Zhou has been in the ham business for 4 generations.
As soon as I saw the words "If delivery is delayed, military law will be applied" at the end of the contract, I was instantly scared.

Scared to the point of sweating on the forehead:

"My Lord, I cannot do this."

The fat man slapped me on the back of my head again.

Then he was pulled aside and pointed at two strong and dark men:

"You know Lao He from the escort agency and Lao Liu from the boat captain."

"Knowing each other."

"You pay them enough for the freight and sign a standard contract, and then the subsequent risks are transferred to them. If something goes wrong, it has nothing to do with you."

Mr. He from the escort agency bowed:

"Don't worry, Manager Zhou. If something really happens, we will be sued."

"Who ordered this?"

Old Liu at the bow whispered:

"The new government has a good reputation. We have cooperated with them many times. Now all of us who work on the ship trust the government."

……

was saying,

The clerk in the Purchasing Department has already made the order.

The paper has intricate patterns, and after the amount is written, it is signed and stamped.

"Tomorrow, take it to the Sihai Bank in the capital and exchange it for silver notes or silver dollars."

"Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir."

Shopkeeper Zhou seemed to be in a dream.
The backyard stock was cleared out~
It turns out that war is not that scary. I even feel a little bit of anticipation!

(End of this chapter)