Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 500: Hatred to the Bone, Chasing for 300 Miles

After the victory of the Jingzhou Campaign,

Except for the 4th Corps, the other corps had no time to rest and immediately crossed the Jing River and headed south.

The sword is pointed at Hunan!

along the way,
There was no resistance in Changyang, Yidu, Zhijiang, Songzi and other counties.

They all asked for surrender.

Lin Huaisheng had no time to be distracted, so he handed over the entire surrender and cleanup work in Hubei to the 4th Corps.

There are no organized Qing field forces in the entire Hubei Province, but if they want to control the mountainous areas in western Hubei and the mountainous areas in northeastern Hubei, they are expected to have to use force.

According to the order of His Majesty conveyed by the General Staff:

Hubei,

Except for the Tongbai Mountain and Dabie Mountain areas, which can be left unattended for the time being, all other areas should be captured and effectively ruled.

If Huguang is prosperous, the whole world will be prosperous.

In view of the abnormal weather, the State of Wu needs to pay special attention to food security!

……

The wounded and sick on the Hubei battlefield were sent back to Wuchang by boat after simple treatment.

The Director of Health, Wu Ao, had rushed to Wuchang with two ships of medicines and a ship of Mongolian doctors, and requisitioned the Huguang Governor's Office as a temporary field hospital.

Your Majesty acquiesced,

The Department of Health can verify some very novel theories through large amounts of sample data and advance medicine.

to this end,

The grant is huge!

The various government offices had no complaints about this.

This is in stark contrast to the widespread dissatisfaction caused by the Labor Department's diversion of funds for river dredging.

the reason is simple,
The flood will definitely not flood the ministers and directors.

but,

Disease does not discriminate between the high and the low.

……

We had a meeting not long ago and had a dinner together after the meeting.

Director of the Department of Health Wu Ao said modestly:
"For the health of Your Majesty and the others, the Department of Health needs to conduct a series of tests to find out the causes of the various common diseases and explore effective treatments."

“Therefore, more funds will be occupied.”

Everyone said it was okay.

Spending money is not a problem; the key is medical progress!
Old Wu, if you need any cooperation, just let me know.

All departments will provide strong support within their capabilities.

The Transport Department provides large ships!
Department of Agriculture supports improved herbal varieties!
The Metallurgical Bureau helps solve the problem of tools for pharmaceutical factories!

Architectural Services Department guides pharmaceutical factory buildings!

The Finance and Taxation Bureau will give the green light!

In the original medicinal materials distribution hub, Zhangshu Town, Jiangxi Province, 3000 acres of land and a wharf were allocated to the Health Department for its business.

……

now,

The upper class people in Wu State were generally keen on health knowledge, and the two professional terms "bacteria" and "prevention" were deeply rooted in people's minds.

Things that are implemented from top to bottom are always easy to implement.

Someone even proposed a bold idea.

future,

Is it possible to turn the imperial palace into a pure area within 100 miles around it?

On the first day of every month, a large box of pills for treating common diseases is distributed to locals living in pure areas, to treat diseases if they exist and to prevent them if they don’t.

Outsiders entering the area are subject to strict inspection.

These people shouted:

May your majesty live forever and your ministers be healthy~
No matter how high the price is, it's worth it.

……

The Niangan Office's hidden team in Suzhou Prefecture,

clamor:

"If the battlefield can't solve the problem, then use assassination to solve it."

Qianlong placed high hopes on the assassination.

Another 20 death squads were dispatched and sufficient funds were allocated.

An assassination attempt on Li Yu is being prepared in full swing.

It is extremely difficult to assassinate the king and his emperor in the heartland of Wu State, and it is basically wishful thinking to rely on force alone.

Even if all the warriors who were executed by sticking poles were great masters of the martial arts world, it would be difficult to break through.

Therefore,
To find a new way, not to take the usual path~
Yin Ta, the leader of the Sticking Rod Department and the second-rank imperial guard, was flipping through a copy of "Biographies of Assassins" until it was wrinkled, but he was still undecided.

The emperor's urging became more and more severe.

Yin Ta is not afraid of death, but he is afraid that if everyone dies, the mission cannot be completed.

Assassination,

Try to succeed in one go.

Otherwise, the more times you try, the lower the probability of success.

……

Zeng Di, the acting Hunan governor, also wanted to call for "scorched earth to resist the enemy", but he had no time to put it into practice.

The pursuit is too close.

This made him very regretful that he had not sent his trusted subordinates to various states and counties to implement the scorched earth plan earlier.

"Brother, the pursuers are coming again."

"drive."

Zeng Di whipped the warhorse hard, and the horse whined, knelt on its front hooves, and threw him out.

Luckily, my neck wasn't broken.

This is the third warhorse that has collapsed from exhaustion during the escape.

Zeng Di shook his head.

Cursing:
"Don't these bandits know how tired they are? Aren't they worried about running out of steam?"

……

Seeing the smoke and dust rolling behind
The seventh son of the Zeng family holds a spear:

"Brother, please leave first and leave your hat and cloak to me."

The old eight who had been silent all this time spoke up:

"Seventh Brother, you are too strong and your body shape doesn't look right. Let me play the role."

No more humility,

Time is precious now, and it is safer to run to Zishui and find a boat.

Escape from Zishui River by boat into Dongting Lake!
after that,

Then go upstream along the Yuan River and enter the mountainous area of ​​western Hunan.

For now,

This is the most likely way to escape the pursuit of the Wu cavalry, as the land route is blocked.

……

Wusimai also gritted his teeth and persevered.

The long-distance pursuit exceeded the limit.

The knights were better off, but a large number of war horses died from exhaustion.

He loves horses like his life, but he is so cruel.

There are two reasons:

First, Zeng Di is too poisonous and we cannot feel at ease unless we get rid of him.

Second, 4000 war horses were captured on the Hubei battlefield, which could make up for the losses.

Therefore,
As long as we can kill Zeng Di and his militia and preserve the essence of Hunan, any loss will be worth it.

The focus of Huguang strategy is food!

He sent out 500 cavalrymen to issue an order to all prefectures and counties in Hunan.

Warning everywhere,

If anyone burned down the granary, emptied the granary, or put up armed resistance, the heavenly soldiers would not spare any officials, gentry, or wealthy families.

These people's lives are tightly tied to food.

……

Front,

The figures of fleeing Qing troops appeared.

Wusimai pulled himself together, clamped his spear and shouted:

"kill!"

Four people on the roadside raised their shields and formed a defensive formation.

Wu Simai used the tip of his spear and with the help of horsepower, he broke through the small formation in an instant. A short chieftain soldier even rolled out a foot away in embarrassment.

Just got up,
He was hit on the head by an iron sword "Hululu".

……

Cavalry Second Lieutenant Wu Laoer was 5 meters behind, and his throw was very accurate.

Subsequently
He stretched out his right arm and swung the cavalry sword horizontally.

No need to chop,

The not-so-sharp blade easily cut through a running Qing soldier~
Wu Lao Er did not look back.

The familiar feeling of the blade cutting through the enemy's flesh told me that I had killed yet another person.

……

along the way,

Everyone in the Light Cavalry Corps sighed that the Xiangxi militia was particularly good at running, and everyone had iron feet.

The light cavalry began to track and discover Zeng Di's main force about 30 miles northwest of Ningxiang County.

Except for the first half day,
The light cavalry used their speed advantage to kill 2000 soldiers easily.
Behind,

The pursuit becomes increasingly difficult.

It is definitely a lie to say that war horses cannot outrun humans. In a mid-range acceleration race, with one chasing and the other fleeing, the bipeds are nothing.

but,

The Hunan Plain is densely covered with rivers and arable land, so cavalry were often forced to take detours.
The light cavalry loaded their muskets with iron sand on horseback and then bombarded the enemies within 20 feet.

After injuring them, they are no longer cared about and left to fend for themselves!
If the iron sand enters the skin and flesh, the victim will sooner or later die from wound infection and inflammation.

……

suddenly,

More than 200 defeated soldiers appeared in front of them, leaning against a river bank and forming a battle formation with swords, shields and spears.

Wusimai reined in his horse,

He took out a handful of salted soybeans and stuffed them into the warhorse's pockets for it to chew.

The warhorse was exhausted and lowered its head to the side to drink water.

Seeing this, the knights also reined in their horses.

"Look!"

Across the river,

A thin man wearing a cloak and a second-rank hat was running away in a panic.

Everyone thinks that
It must be Zeng Di! ...

The cavalry used a small saw-mouthed gourd to pour iron sand into the barrel of the gun, and then inserted a cork.

The cavalry flintlock was shorter than the infantry one and was called a thunder gun.

The buttstock is short, the barrel is short, and the caliber is increased.

The muzzle is slightly flared to facilitate loading on horseback.

There are 2 types of ammunition:
Small lead shotgun shells.

Finer iron sand bullets.

Iron sand is not valuable, and it is available in steel plant workshops by the shovelful or basketful.

To ensure tetanus,
Leave it for a while and wait until red rust appears before filling it.

Unlike infantry, cavalry basically gave up fixed ammunition.

……

A team of cavalrymen approached from the right, armed with thunder guns.
Then he turned the horse's head and swept across the formation, lying slightly on the horse's back, pointing the muzzle of the gun at the enemy.

Along with the sound of gunfire, white smoke rose up~
Screams followed.

The sound of gunfire from the Hunan Army's counterattack could be heard sporadically.

Escape all the way,

Most people threw away their bulky muskets.

The small crossbows in the hands of the Tusi soldiers are more threatening~
Wu Simai watched indifferently as the Qing army's formation collapsed under the repeated bombardment of muskets.

Swing the sword forward:

"kill!"

……

Zeng Laoqi was injured and took the lead in jumping into the water, and the others followed suit and jumped into the river to escape.

The Wu cavalry on the shore continued to kill with muskets and iron rods, and the river water turned blood red.

suddenly,

The battlefield fell silent.

Wusimai looked at the river:

"Leave a few people to watch the river surface and fire at anyone who shows up."

"The rest of you, get on your horses and chase after them~"

The rumbling of horse hooves faded away,

Zeng Laoqi, whose lungs were about to explode from holding their breath underwater, finally couldn't bear it anymore.

Wow,
Surfaced.

A ball of fire suddenly burst out before my eyes.

……

On the bridge,

Wu Laoer grinned.

The muzzle of the thunder gun in my hand is still smoking~
"interesting."

There was another corpse on the river surface. Zeng Laoqi was dead!

I squatted for a while.
Everyone gave up hope and mounted their horses to continue the pursuit.

The thin eighth son of the Zeng family was also unlucky. It was not known whether he stepped into a vole pit or was too tired from running.

The horse has failed!

Anyway,

The man was thrown out like a cannonball.

Face down,
He slid about ten feet along the ground, his flesh and blood covered.

……

The eighth son of the Zeng family stood up.

In front, the guards had disappeared.

Behind him, the Wu army knights wielding sabers were not far away.

He glanced and turned,
He picked up his Miao Dao from the ground and swung it around.

roared:

"come."

"I am the governor of Hunan Province in the Qing Dynasty, a Jinshi in the 26th year of Qianlong's reign, and Zeng Di from Yuanzhou!"

……

Regrettably,

The two leading Wu cavalrymen had no intention of fighting with swords and spears. They took out their iron bones and started playing the game of whack-a-mole.

Lao Ba waved his sharp Miao Dao and kept blocking.

but,

The blood on his head affected his vision.

梆~
An iron bone ball hit his face.

I felt dizzy and everything went black in front of my eyes.

I tried to struggle to get up, but I didn't have enough strength.

then,

He was tied up by the cavalrymen who dismounted excitedly.

……

"Commander-in-chief, I caught a governor!"

Wu Si bought the horse and looked at it again and again, but Lao Ba's face was covered in blood and he couldn't see clearly.

then,

The officer's robe and boots were taken off and carefully observed.

Then he asked unhappily:

"Zeng Di is an old thing!"

"Look at this again, does he look like a man in his 50s or 60s?"

Everyone was stunned,

It was obvious that this body was no more than 20 years old.

……

Wusimai was really tired,

I repeated the simple action of getting on the horse twice, but I couldn't climb up.

He also gave up the idea of ​​continuing the pursuit.

There is so much confusion all around, who knows which direction to chase?
"Make a fire and have some meat. Give our horses some, too."

Some of the cavalry carried tinder with them.

The principle of this ancient portable lighter is quite interesting.

Open the lid and blow carefully a few times, the smoldering sparks will revive and flames will burst out.

The knights took off their flying saucer helmets and washed them in the river, and they became very good small pots.

fight,

No one cares about hygiene.

Eating is also crowdfunded.

Everyone threw in the salt, spices and dried meat they brought with them, and it started to cook.

……

Wu Simai sat by the campfire and pointed at Zeng's eighth son:

"You have nothing to do anyway, why don't you try it?"

A soldier stood up and dragged Lao Ba over by his braid, leaving an obvious blood mark on the ground.

Wusimai did not speak either.

He grabbed the sword and cut Lao Ba's ankle hard on the back.

Now, there is no need to worry about the prisoners escaping.

"Who are you? What's your relationship with Zeng Di?"

"Cao~"

Just cursed a word,

A row of teeth were broken by the whistling scabbard.

Wu Simai was obviously very experienced, and he acted so quickly that the surrounding soldiers were shocked.

……

"Where did Zeng Di go?

There was blood foam coming out of Lao Ba's mouth, and he was slurring his words and cursing.

"I didn't realize you're such a tough guy." Wu Simai suddenly became interested and dragged him to the campfire by his braid. "You're Zeng's brother, right? Admit it, or you might lose your hand."

Two soldiers grabbed his arms and tried to push him into the campfire.

Lao Ba finally gave in:

"Yes."

"What's your ranking?"

……

As soon as Lao Ba fell silent, the flames burned his palms and his screams shook the earth.

A burnt aroma.

Wu Simai's stomach was rumbling and he was a little hungry.

"Eight, I'm Old Eight."

"That's right." Wu Simai showed his yellow teeth, "How many people are there in your family?"

"15."

"How many brothers?"

"There are 11 brothers." The eighth brother spat out blood and trembled as he said, "Thanks to you, the second, third, and fourth brothers died in Changsha. The seventh brother just covered the rear to stop you. I'm afraid, I'm afraid~"

The atmosphere was slightly awkward.

Wu Simai looked solemn and said something inappropriate:
"Is your mother still alive?"

"exist."

"Have all of you brothers married yet?"

"..."

"Answer me, are you married?"

"Except for my eleventh brother, I have married all of them."

"Will the woman you marry know how to wield a spear or a stick?"

"A little bit."

……

Wusimai jumped up suddenly, with 1000 lumens of light flashing in his little eyes~
He was still muttering:

"Come on, treat Zeng Xiaoba's injuries. Take good care of him, don't let him die easily."

"Da Lang lost his life for his master, Er Lang died in battle due to lack of strength, San Lang's horse stepped into the mud, Si Lang and Ba Lang were lost in Liao State, Wu Lang became a monk out of anger, Qi Lang was pierced by arrows, and Liu Lang met his parents alone."

"Tell me again, how did your second brother, third brother, fourth brother, and seventh brother die? Let me see if it matches the story in the opera!"

……

Zeng Lao Ba was silent for a moment, then let out a shrill scream.

"Cao your ancestor eighteen~"

(End of this chapter)