Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 472: The internal struggle between quick victory and tug-of-war in Wu Ting~
The 4th Army only bought 2800 pistols because that was all they had in stock.

if not,

They will definitely have one each.

to this end,

The central government discussed this issue hotly for several days.

finally,
Everyone thinks this is a good idea.

Your Majesty also thinks it is good.
The families of these soldiers of the 4th Corps made a lot of money from their liquor business, and they also engaged in smuggling in Yangzhou.

It's only right that they bleed a little.

It is just the right time to give a big boost to the entire chain of heavy industry.

Anyway, the experimental steam engine has been put into use, and mining cannot be satisfied with the previous output, and it needs to be greatly improved.

……

The chain of heavy industry is very long.

Take the example of the process of creating the most common flintlock rifle from scratch.

Ore from the open-pit iron mine in Maanshan, Anhui, and coking coal from the Pingxiang coal mine in Jiangxi are smelted together to produce wrought iron.

after that,

Cutting, drilling, grinding and polishing~
The private woodworking factory processes the wood from Fujian into gun stocks, paints them, and delivers them.
The private copperware factory purchased smuggled Chuzhou copper materials through Jiangpu County, processed them into some firearms parts, and delivered them to
The private canvas factory processes cotton and linen raw materials into gun belts and delivers them~
after that,

The rifle is assembled at Majun Factory to make many parts into a qualified flintlock rifle.

The vigorous development of industry has also driven the development of private transportation and commerce.
Production is inseparable from transportation~
Workers get paid, but they also need to spend money.
……

Regarding the subject of "How to use war to boost heavy industry and thus the entire economy"!
Your Majesty, it is a good intention!
The shameless Xiao Xiaosheng once said:

In this world, whenever there is a benefit, there will be a disadvantage.

Of course,
As long as the benefits outweigh the disadvantages ten times, we can vigorously promote it.

The price behind the barbaric development of Wu's industry is the lives of the people in the war zone!
A quick victory means less suffering for the people.

The people suffered a lot from the tug of war.

……

Minister of Industry Du Ren and Minister of Commerce Hu Xueyu,

When the two of them were having a private dinner and drinks,
Du Zeng sighed:

"With the court's current military technology and financial level, after taking over Huguang, we can mobilize an army of 30 people to march north next autumn. With plenty of food, money, and guns, we can march forward triumphantly and crush everything in our path."

"After that, Your Majesty will be crowned emperor in the Forbidden City, and issue an edict to all nine provinces. It will take another three to five years to wipe out the remaining enemies in the local areas and border areas."

"The empire has completely completed the change of dynasty."

"However, Your Majesty deliberately slowed down the process, taking steady steps and advancing step by step. Perhaps he used the Qing court as a whetstone and wanted to use the war to grind out industrialization."

Hu Xueyu also agreed with this.

He has no interest in industry and does not have a deep understanding of it.

but,

He understood money, human nature, and the operating mechanisms of the imperial court.

So it is said:
"Old Du, your judgment is correct. But I would like to add that in addition to comprehensive industrialization, Your Majesty may have another purpose."

"what?"

"kill!"

……

Du Ren put down the cup and savored the taste of the Huadiao wine.

They are all smart people, so there is no need to explain too much.

Killing people is common during war. No one cares, and there is little resistance.

Once the world is settled,
The emperor must also restrain his murderous intent and instead abide by the rules.

The cause that Your Majesty is pursuing is unprecedented.

Emphasis on commerce, skills, and disdain for Confucianism.
Any one of the above items alone would be enough to cause an uproar in the world.

During the war,

Everyone focuses on winning and doesn't fight too much.

As long as the world is slightly stable, many people will definitely fight for it.

……

Du and Hu are old friends.

In the past, one was a well-known lawyer in the city, and the other was a senior advisor to the shogunate.

They all belonged to a category of people that was scarce in the feudal era - "professionals".

thus,
The two of them can eat at the same table and chat with each other.

Among the 6 ministers,

They are the two who can talk and have fun the best.

The topics discussed on weekdays are quite bold and even a bit taboo.

2000 years of Confucian influence does not mean that the ancients were really stupid.

All the civil servants in the Wu court who had some insight could see clearly what His Majesty really wanted.

I was also secretly sweating for this.

In the future, the empire will be stable.

The new and old factions each take sides, and the struggle inside and outside the court will be extremely fierce.

……

March 8,

The 2nd Corps captured Xingguo Prefecture (now Yangxin County) in Wuchang Prefecture, Hubei Province.

After entering the city,
More than 70 officials and gentry below the rank of prefect were executed, and more than 300 men were sent to the army for hard labor.

Commander-in-chief Zheng Hean did not intervene in the house search, but handed it over to a newly established specialized agency - the Working Group for the Search and Confiscation of Counter-Revolutionary Assets.

This team is of a very high level and is directly dispatched by His Majesty.

The composition of members is complex.

There were guards, civil servants from the six ministers, and clerks on five-year contracts.

Focus on a mutual restraint~
make sure,

No one dares to steal your majesty's money.

……

Drawing on the experience of the house searches in Guangzhou, they first uncovered two or three local clerks who had been marginalized and punished.

then,

Under their guidance, the house search work was carried out.

One group of people are responsible for on-site supervision, another group is responsible for registration, and another group is responsible for transportation.

Anyway,

The process is very scientific.

The process was not very civilized.

In the 19th century, officials and gentry always loved to dig pits to bury gold and silver. Working groups often had to tear down walls, dig the ground, demolish houses, and dig into fish ponds.

Compared with these floating assets, more hidden are the anonymous industries.

may,

5000 acres of lush green farmland are right before your eyes!
But according to the official fish scale book, they belonged to more than 2000 honest farmers.

Actually,
If you investigate carefully, you will find that these farmers do not exist at all and are purely fictional.

Hidden in the world~
If the mesh of the house-confiscation network was a little bigger, it would have missed out.

Floating wealth is a small path.

The hidden property is the ocean.

……

To make an inappropriate metaphor,

Confiscating a house is like a person using a scoop net to scoop up sand.

People are copying sand with great enthusiasm here, but in fact, only a few ounces of sand are actually loaded into the truck!
The fine sand leaked out through the mesh.

After finishing work, the supervisor picked it up with a smile on his face!

Even if the emperor noticed and was furious, the supervisors would still feel very aggrieved.

Is this what you call stealing, slaves?
It's not obvious that you are picking it up.

The first rule of dog-human relations: Anything that falls on the ground belongs to the dog.

The slave thinks he is a dog, woof woof woof.

After the Battle of Guangzhou,
Li Yu personally supervised the search of the house and accidentally discovered this huge loophole, which made him heartbroken.

Then the scoop net was replaced with a shovel.

One shovel after another without making a sound.

My money, all my money!
……

Xingguo Prefecture is not considered an economic powerhouse.
But the location is good, a little bit of oil and water.

After entering the city, the 2nd Corps simply replenished some mules and horses, and then split into two groups, like the two claws of a crab, trying to clamp down on Wuchang from both sides.

Commander-in-chief Zheng Hean personally led the team and prepared to cross the gorge between Daye County and Tongshan County to the south of Wuchang.

The border between Hubei and Jiangxi provinces is the continuous Mufu Mountains.

The army is passing through the triangular area in southeastern Hubei, which is mainly hilly and has many lakes.

to this end,

Your Majesty has allocated a pontoon battalion.

The combat mission of the 2nd Corps cannot be simply understood as capturing the city of Wuchang.

Instead, they swept through the 1 state and 9 counties under Wuchang Prefecture.
The organized Qing troops outside the city of Wuchang were basically eliminated, and at the same time the land connection between Wuchang and Yueyang was cut off.

……

then,

Besieged and blockaded Wuchang.

After waiting for the 4th Corps and the Navy to jointly capture Xiangyang, the Navy went down the Han River and cooperated with the 2nd Corps to capture Wuchang.

After that,

The 2nd Army went south.
Fight Yueyang, Changsha, Changde~
The 4th Corps marched south from Xiangyang to capture Jingzhou and Yichang.

The Great Plain of the Two Lakes is very similar to the Jiangnan Plain, and is very suitable for Wu’s army to display its capabilities.

According to the plan of the General Staff,
After destroying the main force of the Qing army's Dongting Lake navy, civilian transport fleets could also be used as troop transport ships.

Let the infantry embark,
Along the extensive water system, it controls the entire plain of the two lakes and the essence of Huguang like mercury flowing out of the ground. …

Wuchang City in the early morning.

Loose inside and tight outside.

Hubei Governor Wang Jie was relieved when he heard that Wu's army had launched a formal attack.

Stone,

Good landing.

The city of Wuchang was renovated and reinforced, and 20000 new troops were trained every day with sufficient food and wages.

I have done my best to honor the Emperor and the Governor.

If we can defend Wuchang, our name will go down in history!

If I can’t defend Wuchang, I’ll die and thank the world for it!

Tried my best.

"Change into casual clothes and go out for a walk with me."

"Yes."

The master and servant disappeared into the street from the back door of the governor's office.

This loyal guard who has followed him from his hometown of Hancheng, Shaanxi, is more reliable than his son.

……

Wang Jie is a wise man.
He had no hope for the defense of the one state and nine counties under Wuchang Prefecture.
I just hope they can hold on a little longer and consume as much enemy strength and time as possible, which will be their greatest contribution.

Especially the towers between Daye County and Tongshan County~
The blueprints were provided by the Ministry of War, the silver came from the Hubei Fanku, and the blockhouses were built by local people.

We'll see how effective it is.

The most prosperous street in Wuchang is straight and wide.

The shops on both sides are open for business as usual, but there is no longer the hustle and bustle of the past.

The guard whispered:
"Master, too early?"

"Ah."

……

Leave the long street and walk into a small alley.

This was the first time that Wang Jie, a native of Shaanxi, experienced the authentic life of Wuchang people.

Too early,

It means having breakfast.

There is an inconspicuous breakfast stall in the corner of the alley.

The stall owner was a rather pretty woman.

There are hot dry noodles, bean curd, siomai, fried dough sticks, etc.
The guest held a large coarse porcelain bowl and sat on a three-legged stool with another stool in front of him.

It’s very simple, but that doesn’t stop the people of Wuchang from enjoying the meal.

Wang Jie just ate silently.

He was wearing a half-worn gown and had gray hair. At first glance, he looked like a private school teacher.

……

The conversation between two diners next to him attracted his attention.

"Sir, are you going to fight?"

"Ah."

"Can you win?"

"Become a soldier, eat food, and fight hard."

finished,

The dark and sturdy soldier of the new army threw down a handful of copper coins and walked away quickly, leaving the chatterbox guest sighing.
Changing the subject,
The chatterbox started chatting with other guests again.

"Everyone, more than 1 people have left the city this year, and the governor has allocated all the vacant houses to the families of the new army. How will we solve the problem of two owners of one house in the future?"

……

After hearing this,

A scholar who had just walked to the food stall suddenly said:

“No need to solve it.”

As soon as Wang Jie looked up, he knew that the scholar was not doing well. He was wearing tattered clothes, had messy hair, and his cloth shoes were torn.

but,

This person does not feel inferior because of poverty.

He held his head high, with a kind of inappropriate arrogance.

This reminded Wang Jie of his youth, when his father had passed away and his younger brother was young, and he was also as poor and heartbroken, and felt justified.

The villagers joked:

Poor and cruel!

……

The chatty eater slurped his noodles.
He asked vaguely:

"Mr. Zhao, let me ask you, what if the original owner comes back with the title deed and demands the house?"

“They can’t come back.”

The diner almost choked.

Said in a low voice:

"If the imperial court wins and the Wu bandits retreat, those people will come back."

Zhao Xiucai smiled:
"If the defense of Wuchang is won, the governor will be a famous minister of the restoration and the soul of Huguang. It won't be difficult to reissue the title deed for a house in half a city."

He spoke so arrogantly, as if he were the governor.

……

The chatterbox put down his bowl,

asked:

"Mr. Zhao, I still don't understand. In our Qing Dynasty, it is better to have less trouble than more. The masters all kowtow more, talk less, and make fewer mistakes. What is the governor doing~"

"Why make trouble for yourself? Right?"

"Correct."

"As the saying goes, those who have constant property have constant determination. The new army was originally poor farmers in the surrounding area. Now they get military pay and eat white rice, and their families live in tiled houses. It's just like rising to the top in one step, right? But if Wuchang falls, everything will be gone. Therefore, they are no longer fighting for the court to defend the city, but for themselves, their families, and their constant property!"

……

Actually,
Zhao Zhuangwen believed that the hundreds of thousands of people who had left the city would never come back.

The fall of Wuchang was only a matter of time.

No matter how the governor tries to maneuver, he can only survive.

And he just watched coldly.

When the Wu army entered the city, he asked to see the commander-in-chief as a scholar to offer advice and gain a promotion.

The Qing court was not wise, but that did not necessarily mean the Wu court was not wise either.

Zhao Zhuangwen thinks he is a needle, and the only thing missing is an opportunity to prick someone.

……

bang~
A heavy bowl of noodles hit the bamboo stool in front of him, interrupting his thoughts.

"There is no place to stand, but the mouth is as powerful as a prime minister."

"Cheng Hui, 15 wen!"

Zhao Zhuangwen took the noodles awkwardly.

He smiled apologetically at the female stall owner:

"Please take care of the account, ma'am, and settle it all at the end of the year."

The female stall owner snorted disdainfully and turned around to continue her work.

……

The chatterbox obviously knew the two people, his eyes rolled around.
He laughed:
"It's okay, it's okay. The Zhou family's wife has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Actually, you two~"

"Shut up!"

The two parties spoke in unison, choking on Gossip and running away to find water to drink.

The stall owner, Madam Zhou, seemed to still be angry.

He sneered again:

"Mr. Zhao became famous when he was young. He was a student in the imperial academy at the age of 12. He was very popular. He should have been appointed as a Hanlin scholar long ago. How come he is still unknown now when he is in his thirties? He even dares not stay in his hometown in Hunan and hangs out everywhere?"

Zhao Zhuangwen paused while eating noodles.
Sadly said:
"I am not famous yet and you are not married yet, so maybe we are both inferior to others."

……

After saying that, he ate the noodles with big mouthfuls.

Salty and spicy alkaline noodles are the most soothing to the human heart.

but,

It would be better if it was more spicy.

Hunan scholar, Zhao Zhuangwen.

In just a dozen years, he went from being a talented boy from Xianghu to a good-for-nothing despised by the countryside.

Fight again and again after repeated failures, and fail again and again.

After passing the imperial examination, his mind gradually shifted away from the imperial examination and toward various kinds of miscellaneous studies.

Left my hometown and went to Wuchang to hang out.

I met this native lady Zhou by chance. She was smart and capable, three years older than me.

Mrs. Zhou's parents tried their best to bring them together.

Even if he was a down-and-out scholar, he still had some appeal to a small merchant's family.

Zhou's parents said privately:
Even if I can't pass the imperial examination in this life, maybe my grandson can. Studying requires talent.
however,
Zhao Zhuangwen remained unmoved.

Over time, the relationship became strained.

……

Wang Jie observed quietly and saw that the man was eating noodles as fast as an old cow drinking water, so he knew that he was very hungry.

He pushed the big bowl in his hand over.

laughed:

"Young sir, I am old and my appetite is not as great as it used to be, but I don't want to waste food. Can you help me?"

(End of this chapter)