Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 475: Unexpected factors, the fleet temporarily suspended its westward advance and attacked Wuchang instead!

It is not easy for the artillery department of the Infantry Officer School to train a qualified artillery observation post.

To put it harshly,

It only takes two or three months to form a qualified filling-line infantry company.

If they can march in formation, load and understand flags and drums, they can be deployed to the battlefield in an organized manner. As long as the finances can keep up, they can be replenished at any time.

It takes at least two years to form a qualified artillery company.

The gunner cannot be too stupid and must be literate.

Artillery officers must master simple knowledge of mathematics and physics.

In the classes of William who wanted to go into politics and the missionaries who wanted to move up the social ladder, there was always a translator and a recorder to record the content for compiling teaching materials.

……

When the fourth mortar shell hit the blockhouse, the new army could no longer hold on.

A few survivors staggered out of the ruined blockhouse.

The time for skirmish hunting begins!
The 2nd Legion played the skirmish tactics very well, and the good thing about them was the coordination.

Three guns in one group,
Aim at a running person and stagger the lead time to ensure maximum accuracy.

……

The artillery warrant officer stopped the attempt to shoot the last survivor.

"Leave him back and give a message."

This survivor will spread the horror of death to the rest of the towers.

It's not a pleasant feeling to wait for death to come.

A monkey shot up into the sky,

huh~
Soar into the sky.

The infantrymen were all grinning from ear to ear, as this was a signal of the good news that a blockhouse had been taken down.

……

The efficient but not intense bombardment came to a temporary end in the evening, and a total of four blockhouses were destroyed.

The mortar operators became more and more skilled.

Apart from being tired from carrying the cannon up the mountain, there is nothing else to complain about.

at night,

The cooks gave them the best meat first.

The gunners ate with a clear conscience, and the others took it for granted.

The 2nd Legion has a very positive atmosphere.

Admire the brave~
The brave do not have to queue for meals and can enjoy the best meals, and no one is dissatisfied.

This 1 point,
The 4th Army in particular did not approve.

They would even scold the cooks and pay out of their own pockets to improve the food.

……

Yangtze River section,
4th Legion Fleet,

A group of people were chatting on the deck, expressing their personal views on the war.

"First of all, we must eat well, drink well and rest well, so that we can be combat-ready. We are soldiers, and we cannot die in battle, but it would be too unfair to die of hunger or disease."

"When it comes to getting sick, you really have to be careful, especially not to drink water casually."

Medical officer Lu Huichun just came up from the cabin.
Immediately took over the conversation:

"What you said is correct. As far as I know, there is a poison that has been circulating in the Poyang Lake and Dongting Lake area for thousands of years."

The two horrifying words "gu" and "poison" instantly brought the atmosphere on the deck to freezing point.

Seeing that everyone looked unhappy, Lu Huichun

Secretly happy in my heart:

You've come to the right place.

……

"My Lu family has been practicing medicine for 9 generations. Although we are not well-known, we are proficient in various common diseases. Gu poison is also called schistosomiasis. Oh, by the way, this is the name given by His Majesty himself, and no objections are accepted. The main symptoms are fever, belly as big as a drum, diarrhea, and skin diseases."

Everyone nodded like chickens pecking at rice.

Listen to Master Lu talk about science.

"According to the latest research results of the Royal Academy of Sciences, this disease is transmitted by snails in the lake water. Therefore, people cannot drink lake water."

"What about laundry?"

"Neither."

"What about swimming?"

"It won't work either."

……

After the popular science lecture, Lu Huichun finally revealed his true intention and took out a small wooden box.

Open,

Inside lay dozens of brown pills.

"This is a new medicine developed by the Department of Health that can prevent diseases even if you don't have them."

"Doctor, why don't you sell us a few?"

"It's not good to have public property."

"We'll exchange one big-headed coin for one, and you can find a way to report the damage and ask the government for some money. Now is wartime, and everything should serve the greater good."

Lu Huichun quickly took advantage of the situation and backed off:

"What this brother said makes sense. What is the overall situation? You are the overall situation."

After a while,
The wooden box was empty.

Lu Huichun returned to the cabin, smiling widely.

I made the right decision to transfer from the 2nd Corps to the 4th Corps through connections. Excellent people will always gather together in the end.

Is this called cheating?
No, this is called preventing disease before it occurs!
It is an advanced medical concept that is hundreds of years ahead of its time.

Homemade cheap tonic pills with a little brown sugar added.

Take one pill a day to feel more energetic and vigorous.

……

When the fleet approached Wuchang, they slowly lowered the sails to half sail.

Two reconnaissance ships went forward to conduct reconnaissance, and all they heard was a continuous sound of artillery fire.

After half an hour,
The two reconnaissance ships brought back some bad news - they couldn't get through!
Commander-in-chief Huang Si was anxious:

"what's the situation?"

A naval lieutenant saluted first and replied:
"Reporting to the commander-in-chief, the Qing troops in Wuchang have pulled up many iron chains at the mouth of the Han River and sunk ships to block the waterway. The fleet will definitely not be able to pass in the short term."

……

Huang Si hesitated for only a few seconds.
Fierce eyes:

"Wang Jie is looking for death."

"Pass on my order to adjust the battle plan. The fleet will quickly approach the south bank, and the infantry will land to prepare to attack Wuchang."

"Second Lieutenant, you return with the speedboat and ask for instructions from Commander Lin."

"Yes."

That's what war is.

The extremely careful plans made in the early stages are often disrupted by various unexpected events.

Wang Jie suddenly gathered five large grain ships loaded with stones, connected the ships with iron chains, and sank them in the Han River under the overlooking of the Guishan Fort, where they flowed into the Yangtze River estuary.

Dozens of iron chains as thick as wrists were used to block the river.

If the fleet wanted to sail into the Han River, it had to first clear the sunken ships and cut the iron chains.

Simultaneously,

It would inevitably be attacked from both the Guishan Fort on the south bank of the Han River and the western city wall of Wuchang.

……

The staff team had a heated discussion looking at the map.

Finally came to a conclusion:
There must be a battle in Wuchang.

Temporarily modify the battle plan - abandon the plan to attack Xiangyang first, and instead take Wuchang first.

but,

Huang Si also got good news.

The European three-class sailing battleship "Hell" was unable to go up the Han River due to the depth of the water and achieve the established plan of joining the main force in Wolong Town.

in contrast,

The water level is still declining.

then,

After discussing with the deputy captain, Captain Wesson of the Hell decided to change course.

It then drifted into the Yangtze River from the Han River, and cruised and attacked many Qing Dynasty ships, destroyed grain boats, and destroyed two silk-chasing ships of the Dongting Lake Navy.

……

later,

Wang Lin, the commander-in-chief of the Dongting Lake Navy, who was born as a pirate in Fujian, used small boat siege tactics.

The width of the river in the Wuchang section is about 6 miles. Excluding the shallow water area, the safe operating width of the Hell is only 3 miles.

Wei Sen didn't dare to get entangled with the small boat, so he took the initiative to retreat.

At this moment, they took the initiative to join the fleet of the 4th Legion.

Huang Si was overjoyed.

The Hell has 90 shipboard guns, which makes it even more powerful.

……

The huge Dongting Lake Navy was detained by Wang Jie when passing through Wuchang.
Wang Jie has a long career and a clean background.

He said he was following the emperor's orders, who dared to ask more questions?

Wang Lin, the navy commander who was born a pirate, could only ask for a warrant from the governor and then obey.

Wuchang City Defense,

Suddenly, there were a lot more water forces, and the confidence of the civil and military officials in the city increased slightly.

Only Wang Lin couldn't express his pain.
Not many people in the Qing Dynasty understood the differences between inland civilian ships, seagoing ships, armed merchant ships, Chinese warships, and European warships.

In the eyes of the Hubei Governor, all ships might seem the same.

10 ships against 1, huge advantage!

……

Actually,
Wang Lin still remembers that when he was a teenager, he followed several older brothers to besiege a Dutch "armed merchant ship" on the sea.

result,

The distance is getting closer.

When the "armed merchant ship" turned around, it was discovered to be a naval warship.

The eldest brother screamed immediately:
The wind is strong, pull it out~
Seeing that the boat was not fast enough, he ordered all the heavy objects on the boat to be thrown into the water and to escape with light loads.

After running for an hour, he was still caught up by the warship.

The tail rudder was broken first.

Then he was shot like an executioner~
Night came,

The warship sailed away, and he drifted away holding on to a piece of broken wood, saving his life.

……

Hubei Governor's Office,

Zhao Zhuangwen hurried into the study.

"Teacher, the emperor has issued an order that Wuchang can be lost, but Wang Jie does not have to die."

Wang Jie finished browsing, and his mood remained calm.

Put down the wolf hair brush in your hand,

laughed:

"Come and read this magnificent article."

Zhao Zhuangwen took it suspiciously and his expression suddenly changed.

This is not a great article at all; it is clearly his last work, written to persuade Emperor Qianlong to make changes through death.

From the perspectives of official administration, taxation, Manchus and Han people, militia, and public opinion, suggestions that are incompatible with today were put forward.

Five years ago,

If this magnificent document is presented to the emperor, the lightest punishment would be exile to Ningguta.

……

Zhao Zhuangwen was slightly moved.
But only slightly.

Advise:
"Students think the emperor won't listen. The Qing dynasty has been established for more than a hundred years and has accumulated many problems. Many things can no longer be changed."

"What do you want to say?"

"I want to say that in history, no dynasty has ever been destroyed unjustly. Since the rise of the Qing Dynasty in Liaodong, tens of thousands of people have been killed. After entering the Shanhai Pass, there have been countless massacres. They launched a literary inquisition and regarded scholars as pigs and dogs. Various outdated practices were used to extort every penny. In the past, the swords of the Eight Banners were fast, and everyone endured it. Now, how many of the Eight Banners can still lift a sword?"

Wang Jie was shaking all over and his face changed several times.

I wanted to severely criticize this crazy disciple, but after thinking it over, I swallowed my anger.

because,

Zhao Zhuangwen hit his sore spot.

……

Since entering the court,

Wang Jie has always wanted to change the ills of the Qing Dynasty, but he never had the chance.

Qianlong was a stubborn and self-willed person who would not tolerate any disagreement. If anyone disobeyed him, he would be exiled at the very least and executed at the worst.

The "wise and mighty" Emperor Kangxi killed a total of 30 officials above the second rank.

The "harsh and ungrateful" Emperor Yongzheng killed 11 officials above the second rank.

The "kind and generous" Emperor Qianlong killed 53 of them.

Wang Jie had a very thorough understanding of these three generations of grandparents and grandchildren. After entering the officialdom, in addition to being an honest official himself, he also became much more cautious.

Therefore,
Qianlong always had a good impression of him.

……

Silent for a long time,

Wang Jie stood up and looked out the window.

"Sit down and listen to me tell you about the past."

Wang Jie seemed to be reciting:
"In the first year of Qianlong, Jin Deying, a native of Hangzhou, Zhejiang

In the second year of Qianlong's reign, Yu Minzhong, a native of Zhenjiang, Jiangsu
In the fourth year of Qianlong's reign, Zhuang Yougong, a native of Guangzhou, Guangdong
In the seventh year of Qianlong's reign, Jin Sheng was born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang.

Qian Weicheng, a native of Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, in the 10th year of Qianlong's reign
In the 13th year of Qianlong's reign, Liang Guozhi was born in Shaoxing, Zhejiang.

In the 16th year of Qianlong's reign, Wu Hong was born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang.
Qin Dashi, a native of Jiangning, Jiangsu, was awarded the title of Enke in the 17th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign.

In the 19th year of Qianlong's reign, Zhuang Peiyin was born in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province.

In the 22nd year of Qianlong's reign, Cai Yitai, a native of Jiaxing, Zhejiang
In the 25th year of Qianlong's reign, Bi Yuan, a native of Taicang, Jiangsu,

……

Speaking of this,

Wang Jie paused for a moment and continued to recite:

"In the 26th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign, Wang Jie, a native of Hancheng, Shaanxi
In the 28th year of Qianlong's reign, Qin Dacheng, a native of Taicang, Jiangsu
In the 31st year of Qianlong's reign, Zhang Shuxun, a native of Suzhou, Jiangsu

In the 34th year of Qianlong's reign, Chen Chuzhe, a native of Suzhou, Jiangsu
In the 36th year of Qianlong's reign, Huang Xuan was born in Huizhou, Anhui Province.

In the 37th year of Qianlong's reign, he won the imperial examination and was born in Huizhou, Anhui Province.

In the 40th year of Qianlong's reign, Wu Xiling, a native of Huizhou, Anhui Province,

……

Zhao Zhuangwen was stunned.
These are all the top scholars in the Qianlong period!
Wang Jie turned around, his eyes slightly red:

"After the Song and Yuan dynasties, culture moved southward, and the imperial examination gradually became a southerner's special event! In the Qing Dynasty, the number one scholar became a special event for people from the south of the Yangtze River."

"So far, there have been 18 number one scholars in the Qianlong period, and 16 of them are from Jiangnan."

"Do you know how many number one scholars have come from Shaanxi since the Song Dynasty?"

Zhao Zhuangwen was stunned.

For a moment, I couldn't remember.

Wang Jie smiled bitterly:
"4!"

……

"In the 26th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign, I entered the palace examination as the third place, but was chosen by the emperor as the number one scholar. Since then, I have become the fourth number one scholar from Shaanxi since the Song Dynasty, and the only number one scholar since the founding of the Qing Dynasty!"

"Because of this incident, all the scholars in Jiangnan regard me as an enemy and have made countless plots behind my back. I am ashamed that I have won the first place in the imperial examination and the emperor has also been blamed for it."

Wang Jie's voice gradually became excited:
"That year I returned to my hometown as the new top scholar. The people of Hancheng and Shaanxi were excited. 10 people gathered in Hancheng just to see me. 20 scholars in the county carried me on a wooden pole and paraded me through the streets. The villagers raised money to rebuild the Hancheng Confucian Temple. During the days when I visited my relatives, there were drums and music and firecrackers every day. From day to night, it was more lively than the Chinese New Year."

"You are also a scholar. How great an honor is this? How kind of a favor is this? How unforgettable is this?"

"Why wouldn't Wang Jie from Shaanxi repay the emperor's kindness with his own death?"

……

Zhao Zhuangwen closed his eyes and clenched his fists.

He understood the feeling.

Report your favor on the golden platform, and bring Yulong to die for the king.

"I have been in the government for 20 years. I know that there are many problems in the world today and I am deeply worried. After I die, this memorial will naturally be delivered to the emperor."

"I hope to wake up the emperor and make him employ honest officials and capable ministers, abolish the civil inquisition, treat the people well, repair the military equipment, and revive the Qing Dynasty. If this is realized, I will smile in my grave without regrets~"

……

Zhao Zhuangwen understood.
I completely understand~
To sum it up, it can be said in one sentence - the Qing Dynasty was established for more than a hundred years, but it did not benefit the people of the world, but it did benefit Wang Jie greatly.

Therefore,
No matter how unpopular the imperial court is, no matter how bad the war situation is, the teacher will still be loyal to the emperor without hesitation.

From a human perspective, there is nothing wrong with this.

He even thought,

in case,

If a king gives me such supreme honor when I was poor and destitute, what does it matter if I become the enemy of the whole world?
……

A scout from the New Army rushed into the governor's office.
Shouting:

"The Wu bandit ships have begun to land."

Wang Jie wiped away his tears and waved his right arm:
"go!"

"Follow me up the city wall. Before you leave Wuchang, see for yourself the advanced guns and fierce tactics of the Jiangnan rebels. Remember them, learn from them, and defeat them!!"

……

(End of this chapter)