Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 510: The Destruction of the Last White Lotus Army
Thousands of miles away.

Wu Army’s temporary command post in Hengshan County, Hunan Province.

Army Minister Lin Huaisheng watched his staff officers plant small red flags on the sand table, representing the progress of the battle in Hunan.

suddenly,

He pointed to an unflagged area in the east and asked:
"Where is this place?"

"Liuyang County."

……

"Little Liuyang, why hasn't it been taken yet?"

"I'll go and inquire about it."

The staff officer left in a hurry, leaving Lin Huaisheng pondering in front of the sand table. Following his gaze, he saw Xiangxi!

As the dust on the Hunan battle has basically settled, Wu Jun’s next strategic goal remains controversial.

Guangxi? Xiangxi? Fujian? Sichuan?
but,

Winter has arrived.

It is unlikely that large-scale military operations will be deployed before the beginning of spring.

After fighting for such a long time, everyone from officers to soldiers were exhausted and needed rest, and the logistics could no longer cope.

Fortunately,

The Huguang Campaign was basically successful.

The biggest flaw was that the Xiangxi mountainous area had not been taken. The second was the loss of Changsha City and some food.

……

Zeng Di and Zhao Zhuangwen, these two names left a deep impression on Lin Huaisheng.

Zeng the Butcher, a typical diehard.

If he is caught in the future, he will be cut into pieces.

Zhao Zhuangwen is not well-known.

It was only because he opened a warehouse in Yuanling County to release grain that he came into the spotlight~
after that,

Lin Huaisheng collected information about this person and discovered that this guy had actually escaped from Wuchang City and had a special relationship with Wang Jie.

Suddenly I became alert.

……

Snowflakes were falling in the Lianyun Mountains.

A large team braved the wind and snow and trudged through the canyon.
2 days ago,

They are still staying in the warm Liuyang County.

"Great Protector, a lone soldier marching a long distance in winter is a dangerous undertaking."

"There is no other way! Defending Liuyang City is a dead end. I have personally witnessed the Wu army's siege capabilities. They are unstoppable."

"Ah~ Maitreya bless you."

This army was the remnant of the White Lotus bandit Zhang Liyong.

At that time, they managed to escape from the gap between the Qing and Wu armies and stole Liuyang. The good days only lasted for half a year before they were forced to move again.

The distance from Liuyang to Changsha is less than 200 miles.

When Wu besieged Changsha, Zhang Liyong was ready to escape.

But the people below don’t support it very much.

When the fire broke out in Changsha, the top leaders of Bai Lian finally reached a consensus - run away!
……

The evacuation of more than 3000 crusader soldiers and 4000 family members was not an easy task.

There were 300 carts carrying baggage alone.

Considering that there will likely be fighting along the way, some believers will be captured and some will go missing or fall behind.

Once captured and interrogated by Wu’s army, there is a high possibility that secrets will be leaked.

Therefore,
The real retreat route was only spread among a very small number of senior executives, and the public route told to the subordinates was false.

Smokescreen~
……

Zhang Liyong wrapped his scarf tightly, and his eyebrows were covered with white frost.

He looked back at the team that was marching silently, without saying a word.

Pray in your heart:

"May the spirits of the past leaders in heaven bless us and help us return to the mountains of Yunyang."

Yunyang can be described as the holy land of White Lotus.

Zhang Liyong pondered over it again and again and found that the leader of the White Lotus Sect who moved the headquarters of the Sect to Yunyang during the chaos between the Ming and Qing Dynasties more than 100 years ago had a strategic vision.

From any point of view,

The mountainous areas in western Hubei are the best shelters for weak secret organizations.

Wuling Mountain, Daba Mountain, Jing Mountain, Wu Mountain, one mountain after another.

When a powerful enemy comes to encircle and suppress us, we can go into the mountains.

The mountainous area stretching for hundreds of kilometers is a natural refuge for the weak and a helpless maze for the strong.

……

As long as the imperial court declines,

White lotus will grow in large quantities.

After leaving Yunyang, there is the vast granary Nanyang Basin on one side and the fertile Jianghan Plain on the other.

It will soon be possible to acquire food-producing areas and expand the size of the army.

then,

By capturing the two important cities of Xiangyang and Wuchang, we gained a very good base from which to start.

The wisdom of our ancestors is unfathomable.

……

One hour later,

The White Lotus Army found a sheltered valley and ate their dry food in silence.

No one dared to make a fire, so everyone ate cold food and drank snow water.

Zhang Liyong was filled with emotion.
If it were the Wuchang Green Camp soldiers under his command, they would have been in chaos long ago.

Lighting a fire to expose your whereabouts? The Green Camp soldiers won't believe it.

Zhang Liyong looked at these followers with deep emotion. From despising Bai Lian at the beginning, to understanding Bai Lian later, and now integrating into Bai Lian~
……

not far away,
A frail old woman suddenly fell down.

The family checked under the nose and found that the body was dead. They could only drag the body aside and cover it with branches with tears in their eyes.

In a few days, the wind and snow will completely cover the corpse.

Before leaving,
Zhang Liyong made the most sincere pre-war mobilization.

For the survival of our religion, I hope everyone can live towards death.

For Bai Lian, the Qing army was an enemy, and the Wu army was also an enemy.

The Song Dynasty was against the Song Dynasty, the Yuan Dynasty was against the Yuan Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty was against the Ming Dynasty, and the Qing Dynasty was against the Qing Dynasty. All government offices were enemies.

Bai Lian is always alone and always under siege.

Whoever sits on the throne will kill Bai Lian~
Which emperor could tolerate the existence of a secret organization that was always on the road of rebellion and lasted for thousands of years?

……

When taking a break,
Zhang Liyong pondered over the map.

The army marched along the canyons of the Lianyun Mountains.

Liuyang County - Pingjiang County - Tongcheng County, and finally arrived at the east bank of the Xiangjiang River, searching for boats to cross the river 100 miles north of Yueyang City.

In this way, the first step of a thousand-mile escape is completed.

after that,

West? Or North?
It depends on the situation.

In short, the goal is clear, the weak must go into the mountains.

If you cannot reach Daba Mountain or Wugong Mountain in a short time, you can first go to Wuling Mountain or Wushan Mountain to survive the winter.

……

This route is fraught with danger.

Once discovered and attacked by the fierce Wu army, the White Lotus Sect will pay the heaviest price.

"The Great Protector, the King Protector, he is no longer able to do it."

Wang Xuanlin, a former Changsha gentry and a senior White Lotus believer, was leaning against a tree, holding his stomach, with a painful expression and a pale face.
The severe cold must have caused some serious intestinal disease.

Anyway,

Hopeless.

The dying Wang Xuanlin grabbed Zhang Liyong's hand.
asked:

"Great Protector, at this point, I still want to ask, if you guys go to the nearby Lianyun Mountain, is there really no way to survive?"

Zhang Liyong was silent and nodded.

……

"I see. I'm afraid I can't make it. When you get to Yunyang, remember to erect a monument for me there."

"Ah."

In the snow and wind, another body was found on the roadside.

Zhang Liyong did not shed tears. He had experienced too much blood and his heart had long been as cold as steel.

At the beginning,

The whole family was tortured to death by the Qing government on the city wall of Wuchang.

Afterwards, they joined the White Lotus, and their army was defeated by the Qing army and fled madly, as panic-stricken as a dog that has lost its home.

After that,

They were also blackmailed by Wu's army in Jiangxi and were almost surrounded and annihilated.

He was forced to lead his troops to move back and forth between Hubei, Jiangxi and Hunan provinces.

After finally occupying Liuyang and obtaining the method of making gunpowder, the organization was just starting to gain momentum when it tried to escape again.

Zhang Liyong was very rational and did not have any luck.

After all, he was a professional military officer and knew very well how big the gap in strength was between the Crusader Army and the Wu Army.

If you can’t beat them, just run away.

The weak have their own survival wisdom~
……

suddenly,

There were several columns of black smoke rising into the sky from the mountains ahead.

Zhang Liyong was instantly scared out of his wits. No normal person would go into the mountains in such a cold winter.

"what's the situation?"

"Quick, send a few people to investigate."

Half an hour later,
The scouts brought back the news.

“Someone is mining.”

"how many people?"

"There are at least a thousand people, mining openly, and they have built dozens of houses."

"Go around them."

Zhang Liyong immediately concluded that Wu Ting had sent people to mine. As for what kind of mine it was, he didn't want to know.

He only hoped that the snow would be heavier. Then the Wu army might not come out for patrols and would not be willing to send troops to encircle and suppress him.

……

Pingjiang County, Sanyang Town.

There is a gold mine here.

Based on his vague impression, Li Yu remembered that during a certain period of time, the gold produced in Pingjiang supported the local base.

Therefore,
He asked the Metallurgical Bureau to send someone over.

As expected, through exploration and questioning of the natives, the golden cave described by His Majesty was easily discovered.

Where there is gold, there is motivation.

Explosives, coal, bricks, firewood, rice, oil and salt were shipped in continuously.

The Metallurgical Bureau was under a lot of pressure because of the Daye Kiln incident.

now,

Wouldn't you like to seize the opportunity and perform well?

I spent 300 silver coins to buy a press release from an outstanding graduate of Dongshan Journalism (Literature) School.

Looks expensive.

Not expensive at all actually.

……

Xiaoxiaosheng said,
Top writers never study literature, they only study human nature.

The essence of this press release is:

"Inspection and planning were carried out in the same month, construction started in the same month, and gold was produced in the same month."

It's like the sound of a huge bell, awakening the deaf and awakening the ears.

so,

Although the profession of literati is generally poor.

But once you reach the top level, it is easy to make money. You charge by the word, and every word counts.

……

God probably heard Zhang Liyong's prayers.

The snow is getting heavier.

A vast expanse of white.

The White Lotus marching team was more than ten miles long.

along the way,
There are more and more roads.

The body was thrown on the side of the road and was soon covered with a layer of "white cloth" by snow.

In such bad weather, no normal person would want to go out.

Winter was also known as the season of the dead in ancient times.

As the name suggests,

The huts are not insulated, the food is not enough, and the firewood cannot be burned, so many people will die.

Those who are forced to go out to look for food and fuel are more likely to die.

What a vast expanse of white, covering up countless tragedies.

……

This heavy snow covered a wide area.
It is snowing in Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Hubei and Hunan in the south.

However, due to the mountains, there was no snow in central Guangxi.

There is no province north of the Yangtze River where it is not snowing, and the temperature is dropping sharply.

Anyway,

God is at the end.

The war game for mortals has been paused.

……

Most of the people in towns and cities under the rule of the Wu State benefited from the popularization of honeycomb coal.

The whole family hid in the house and gathered around the stove to keep warm.

Listening to the howling cold wind outside, I still feel scared.

Most families purchase honeycomb coal according to their monthly consumption of 200 pieces.

but,

The temperature is dropping too fast, 200 yuan is not enough!
People living inside and outside the city who had a strong sense of crisis immediately took the men in their families and braved the wind and snow to replenish supplies.

After the snowstorm lasted for half a month, the stocks in most cities were exhausted.

The heads of the yamen decisively ordered the seizure of the last treasury funds.

The shop is closed and not for sale.

At the critical moment, protect the city first.

……

Heavy snow, from north to south.

It was like a huge white net covering the entire empire.

Even in the south, the snow in the wild is knee-deep.

Nature is showing its power and humans have almost stopped all actions.

The war cannot continue~
Business activities basically stagnated.
Apart from clearing snow from roofs and collecting daily garbage, people stay indoors all the time.

……

"Great Protector, the Yangtze River is frozen!!"

The White Lotus Vanguard who was exploring the way walked onto the ice and poked it hard with spears and stomped on it with their feet.

The ice surface is solid, like gold and iron.

Not to mention leaving, even if an elephant leaves, it doesn't matter.

In this situation, Zhang Liyong didn't know whether to cry or laugh for a moment.

good news:
There is no need to find a boat to cross the river.

You can reach the other side just by walking on the ice, which solves a big problem.

good news:
The snow and wind continued for several days and no one was active in the wild, so it was impossible for the Wu army to come and encircle and suppress them.

bad news:
The wind and snow are too strong and people can't bear it.

The long line has been reduced to a quarter of its size.

……

Half an hour,

Everyone crossed the frozen surface of the Yangtze River with difficulty.

Zhang Liyong knew that if he didn't eat hot food, he would not survive to reach Yunyang.

front,

There is a small village.

He walked through knee-deep snow and gathered dozens of young crusaders.

"Fight in."

Yijiadun, a small village that cannot be found on the map, was inexplicably attacked.

The door was smashed open by a group of staggering lunatics.

The villagers were soon turned into frozen corpses and thrown out of their homes.

Zhang Liyong shivered as he moved closer to the brazier, greedily trying to get close to the warmth that only existed in this world.

After a long while, his scabbard and blade were separated, and he was finally able to pull out the blade.

……

Every room was packed with people.

When fleeing, there was no distinction between superiors and subordinates and no distinction between men and women. People were crowded together, just like a scene of artificially incubating eggs.

fire,
is the hope of mankind.

The next day, the remaining soldiers continued on their journey in the wind and snow.

All the cloth and straw in Yijiadun were looted, and the members of the White Lotus Sect wrapped themselves as tightly as possible.

There was no command, no formation, and no baggage.

Everyone carries their own food and takes care of themselves.

A mouthful of snow, a mouthful of raw rice, moving forward mechanically and numbly.

It was white in front and white behind.

……

The Jianghan Plain is open and unobstructed.

The snow is getting thicker!

Every step forward becomes increasingly difficult.

Many people just stop moving while walking and die quietly.

The next day,

Everyone was surprised to find that they had arrived at Yijiadun again.

Lost, going in circles.

Zhang Liyong kept coughing, his face pale as he used his last bit of strength to muster himself up.

"Maitreya descends to earth, and the white lotus is born."

"Brothers, come on, let's go and take down a county town."

Before he could finish his words, he fell down.

……

The great protector Zhang Liyong died, and the remaining White Lotus soldiers lost their last bit of spirit.

Many people sit and wait to die.

Some people felt extremely hot and took off their cotton jackets, walking in the snow with silly smiles on their faces.

3 days later,

There was no one alive in Yijiadun.

Thousands of bodies were covered in snow.

The nearest county, Jianli, was home to an infantry company of the Wu army, which discovered the tragedy at Yijiadun in the spring.

Huguang battlefield,

All the participating armies of the Wu army took refuge in large cities, stockpiled large amounts of fuel, food, livestock, and wine, and rested on the spot.

The city can block the wind and snow.

A tiled house is not afraid of snow.

The return air furnace can be used for both cooking and heating, and can be called a magical device.

The soldiers gathered around the pot, eating while looking forward to the rewards for military merit.

All in all, the days ahead are promising.

(End of this chapter)