Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 511: One piece, two pieces, three pieces, four pieces, five pieces, six pieces, seven pieces, eight pieces, freezing to death million unruly people, continuing the Qing Dynasty for years

Wu Palace.

The building walls are thick and solid, and there are ground heating installed inside to provide warmth.

Li Yu was wearing only a padded jacket and standing comfortably at the window, looking at the falling snow.

"Your Majesty, Lord Fan requests an audience."

"Ah."

Fan Jing, covered in snow, untied his sable fur cloak and threw it to the palace maid beside him.

Without looking around, he walked behind His Majesty.

Said in a low voice:

"Your Majesty, the snow is one foot thick in the city and two feet thick in the wild. The cold is worse than in previous years. The Grand Canal is frozen, and so is Taihu Lake."

Li Yu sighed lightly:

"I am worried that the snow alone will collapse many houses."

Fan Jing said respectfully:
"Your Majesty is kind and gracious. I braved the snow and inspected several villages and towns in and around the city, and found that many houses were crushed by the snow, especially the adobe huts that had been in disrepair for many years."

……

Li Yu stretched out his hand and gently touched the large piece of lead-barium glass in front of him, which had a far less-than-ideal degree of transparency.

Fingertips are cold~
"Even Suzhou Prefecture is in such a bad condition, let alone other prefectures and counties? I wonder how many people in this world will not survive this winter."

Fan Jing is silent~
Those who have written poems about snow have always been rich and powerful.

In the endless snow, the rich see poetry and painting, while the poor see the grim smile of death.
After thinking for a while, he whispered:
"Your Majesty, I think the court should invest more manpower and financial resources to promote the coal industry next year."

Li Yu nodded~
The ideas coincide.

Next year, Wu's coal industry will surely usher in a period of super-fast development, and everyone from top to bottom will wholeheartedly accept the "replacement of firewood with coal".

really,

Every step forward of mankind is built on piles of bones.

……

When faced with natural disasters, everyone has their own opinions.

Jining, Shandong.

Emperor Qianlong was forced to stay here.

The local authorities were trembling with fear and tried their best to supply the emperor and his entourage.

In the palace,
Qianlong no longer looked gloomy, but now had a happy look on his face.

Looking at the wind and snow outside the window, I was inspired to write poetry.

"One piece, two pieces, three pieces, four pieces, five pieces, six pieces, seven pieces, eight pieces, freeze 30 million people to death, and continue the Qing Dynasty for another 500 years."

The chief eunuch Qin Si quickly lowered his head to hide his fear when he heard this poem.

He was born in a poor land and had been afraid of winter since he was a child.

Every spring, many familiar faces disappear from the village, and many new graves appear outside the village.

County officials would occasionally come down to take a look around and symbolically distribute some relief grain.

better than nothing.

……

Qin Si always felt that if someone died in the cold winter, it was God’s will and he couldn’t blame anyone else!
But I overlooked one thing.
The emperor is the Son of Heaven,

The Son of Heaven is the son of God.

Nowadays, there are many incidents of unruly people resisting tax collection and rebellion all over the country.

The prefectures and counties were busy and frequently carried out killings, which barely prevented a major chaos.

But if this continues, there will be a "Li Zicheng" or "Zhang Xianzhong" sooner or later.

This natural disaster seems to be a result of bad luck from God.

But in fact, it can be understood as a father helping his son. The blizzard can indiscriminately and fatally strike at bandits and civilians.

……

"Master, the Duke of Yansheng Kong Xianpei and the Director of the Guangxi Division of the Ministry of Revenue and Supervisor of the Weifang Coal Mine Yu Shihe request to see Your Majesty."

"Xuan."

It is more than a hundred miles from Qufu to Jining Prefecture.

Kong Xianpei came in a sedan chair carried by eight people. The interior of the sedan chair was as warm as spring, with six heaters providing constant heat, and two maids serving on both sides.
I sigh that the snow scenery in the north is really beautiful.

In front, a group of people were arranged with shovels to clear the way and sweep the snow.

The sedan chair advanced 30 miles every day, and an average of two sedan chair bearers died every day.

This fuel consumption is not great~
Quite affordable.

Kong Xianpei had lived a life of luxury since childhood and had seen countless grand occasions. Deep down, he even felt that the Kong family was more noble than the royal family.

Because the royal family can only be noble for 300 years at most, but the Confucius family can be noble for thousands of years.

Of course, you can only think about it in your mind and not speak it out loud.

……

"Long live my emperor."

The two of them kowtowed three times and bowed nine times meticulously, and their etiquette was impeccable.

Qianlong was in a good mood:

"Give me a seat."

Kong Xianpei did not refuse and sat down.

The eunuch Qin Si became angry when he saw this.

But then he thought, he is the Duke of Yansheng and has a noble status, and the Grand Secretary of Wenhua Palace is only worthy of carrying his shoes in front of him.

I felt relieved instantly.

Kong Xianpei spoke:

"Congratulations, my emperor. Congratulations, my emperor."

"Oh? Where does joy come from?"

"Heavy snow means a good harvest~"

……

Qianlong was stunned for a moment and couldn't help laughing.

The eunuchs could testify that the emperor had not laughed so heartily for at least four months.

"Duke Yansheng said it well. This heavy snow is like a sweet rain. Good, very good."

"This is a good omen, showing God's will."

"Ah."

The king and his ministers asked and answered each other, just like practicing Tai Chi.

Those with a slightly worse brain can't understand the true meaning of the conversation.

Yu Shihe, who was standing aside with his head lowered and a pleasing look on his face, understood what was going on.

As the son of Grand Councilor Yu Minzhong and the son of a top official, he could understand jargon.

now,

The biggest problem in the north is food shortage.

The problem of food shortage can be expressed in another way: there are too many people.

If obedient people have no food to eat, they will die quietly.

If the unruly people have no food to eat, they will rebel.

The consequences of reducing the number of officers and soldiers sent to the countryside are too serious.

Natural disasters are the best~
……

If it is a drought or flood, it is not good either.

Because they cannot be completely wiped out, the remaining victims will go completely crazy and turn into beggars.

Snowstorms are different.

Severe cold can wipe out a whole person, and accumulated snow can block roads.

Those stubborn people who wanted to rebel could not do so and were trapped by the heavy snow.

At last,
completely annihilated.

……

The fourth day of the twelfth lunar month in the forty-third year of Qianlong’s reign.

The ground is covered with silver and snowflakes are flying.

The emperor hosted a banquet to entertain Duke Yansheng and his entourage. During the banquet, the emperor seriously pointed out that the snow disaster this winter was serious. After the spring, local officials of all states and counties should take the initiative to go to the countryside to comfort the victims and distribute relief grain.

We must ensure that all those who should be buried are buried, and all those who should be provided with relief are provided.

Let the dead rest in peace and let the living feel comfortable.

Simultaneously,

The emperor and his ministers exchanged views on the "imperial examination admission rate" and the "comprehensive promotion of the silver for discussing crimes."

Minister of Revenue Heshen and Director of Revenue Yu Shihe attended the banquet.

……

Kong Xianpei was very happy when leaving the palace.

"Brother-in-law, the emperor has great favor."

"It's just a special examination. It's nothing. By the way, your coal is still unsalable in such a cold day?"

Yu Shihe didn't want to say anything anymore.

Angrily complained:
"Everything about our Qing Dynasty is good, except that people are too stubborn. Everyone says that burning coal smoke will kill people."

Kong Xianpei was stunned.
Then he whispered:

"I've also heard that every winter in Qufu County, there are a few poor families who pick up coal and take it home to burn, and eventually the whole family dies."

Yu Shihe was helpless:

"Brother-in-law, burning coal for heating requires exhausting the smoke. He doesn't even have a chimney. He is courting death. Over in Jiangnan, the bandit chieftain Li Yu took the lead in burning coal for heating. If it is really poisonous, then poison him first."

Kong Xianpei nodded thoughtfully.

"Brother-in-law, the coal is unsalable, can you help me?"

……

"No, no." Kong Xianpei shook his head like a rattle and flatly rejected the Kong family's suggestion to take the lead in burning coal.

"Brother-in-law, as long as the smoke can be discharged, burning coal has many advantages. It is cheap, durable, and has a high calorific value."

"What if, what if?"

Yu Shihe was stunned.

Yes, in the Qing Dynasty, we are not afraid of ten thousand things, but we are afraid of one thing.

I was depressed for a while~
In order to appease her brother-in-law, Kong Xianpei thought for a moment and said:

"Can I help you get one or two private mines?"

"Forget it. The iron and copper mines in Shandong have too many impurities and the cost is extremely high. You can't make much money. Unless it's a gold mine~"

Kong Xianpei smiled:
"Behind the gold mines are masters you cannot afford to offend. How about this, I help you get a few thousand acres of land?"

"Okay."

The two of them understood each other tacitly.

A large number of ownerless fields will definitely be vacated by the beginning of next spring.

The prefecture and county government offices would certainly covet it. But it didn't matter, the Confucius Mansion had a lot of servants.

……

Kong Xianpei didn't care at all about the fighting on the front line.

It doesn't matter~
Not to mention that the Wu army had not yet crossed the Huai River, even if they had, the Kong family would not panic.

Rogue emperor, mixed-blood emperor, soldier official, sheep-herding Khan, beggar emperor, wild boar-skin chieftain
So, it doesn’t matter if another rat from Jiangdong comes.

No matter who comes, the Confucius Mansion can serve them.

Even if the person who came was not a human, the Confucius Mansion might still be able to serve him.

It's just a thin price list! It only costs 1 cent!

How much property does the Yanshenggong family have?
The sacrificial fields and private fields cover more than 100 million mu~
Even the Iron-hatted King is poor in front of the Yanshenggong family.

People like Beile can only disguise themselves as beggars when they arrive in Qufu.

……

Guangxi was relatively less affected by the snowstorm and ice disaster.

In addition to the southern latitude, there is also the topographic factor.

There are continuous mountain ranges in the north, east and west of the province. The entire terrain is like a "口" character with the last stroke removed.

In the middle are plains and hills.

This blocks a large part of the cold air from the north.
There was snowfall, but not heavy.

If there is a thermometer, it should be around -7 degrees Celsius.

but,

Even minus 7 degrees Celsius is very dangerous for people from Guangxi.

As the Qing government's ruling power over Guangxi weakened, Guangxi had actually entered a state of each fighting for itself.

The most powerful was the Guangxi Governor Sheng Rong and his 2 green camp troops.

then,

There were dozens of militia teams in various places, which were nominally under the control of Lu Tingsheng, the Minister of Militia.

……

Wuzhou Prefecture, 20 miles south of Rong County.

Beiliu River.

Two armed groups are facing each other.

One side was the Wuzhou militia, and the other side was the Yulin (now Yulin) militia.

Logically,
There are friendly forces on both sides.

However, it is not uncommon for friendly forces to attack friendly forces.

The dispute between the two sides was simple - food.

Wuzhou Prefecture has many mountainous areas and few plains, so there is not enough food.

The grain output in the neighboring Yulin Prefecture is higher.

……

Wuzhou Prefecture and Yulin Prefecture border each other, one in the north and one in the south.

Originally, the relationship between the two places was good, but as the situation changed, the relationship between the two places gradually deteriorated.

Yulin Prefecture first raised the price of grain, and later refused to sell it outside.

The food-scarce Wuzhou Prefecture suddenly fell into a difficult situation.

On the surface, the reason for the feud is clear.

Actually,
Few people truly understand the root cause of the conflict.

The prefect of Yulin was a close confidant of Sheng Rong, the governor of Guangxi, while Lu Tingwu, the commander of the militia in Wuzhou, was a distant cousin of Lu Tingsheng, the minister of militia.

The conflict between Sheng Rong and Lu Tingsheng has gradually become public in recent days.

Fight openly and secretly.

The main reason is the difference in concepts.

Sheng Rong believed that Guangxi could not stand alone and actively moved closer to Agui.

Lu Tingsheng believed that the people of Guangxi should not be involved in this war. They should prepare for war, negotiate between the two sides, try their best to maintain independence, and seek the greatest benefits.

……

According to people in the governor's office, the two gentlemen could not convince each other and their relationship was close to breaking down.

Fearing that he would be murdered, Lu Tingsheng quietly left Nanning and went to his hometown Liuzhou.

under these circumstances,

Lu Tingsheng secretly supported his cousin's expansion and took over Yulin Prefecture.

It provided support with 5 cannons, 500 heavy muskets, 700 shi of grain, and 1 taels of silver, which solved the urgent needs of the Wuzhou militia, which was poorly equipped and had little food and silver.

This also proves a problem.
Wars in the mortal world are often battles between gods in heaven.

only,
The transparent thread that controls the air cannot be seen by the naked eye.

……

The Wuzhou militia consisted of 3000 people, consisting of militiamen from Tengxian, Rongxian and Cenxi counties.

The Yulin Prefecture opposite had a militia of 4500 people, consisting of militia from four counties: Bobai, Luchuan, Beiliu and Xingye.

Lu Tingwu took the telescope given by his cousin and felt a little nervous after taking a quick look.

He has been a dartboard driver and has been in the underworld.

It was obvious at first glance that the Yulin militia was full of murderous intent, and there were many desperate criminals among them.

Looking at my side, I am obviously younger, shorter, and my clothes are more torn.

"Bai Jianren."

"The end will be here."

"You lead the Cenxi group in training and prepare to lead the charge."

"Yes."

Cenxi militia was Lu Tingwu’s starting point, and he could only win the support of the people by having his own people take the lead.

……

Bai Jianren, a 7th-rank military attaché, had excitement in his eyes.

He and his brothers gave up cutting sugarcane and started cutting people because the pay was higher and they could eat more.

Eat enough
It is not easy for poor teenagers in Guangxi.

Therefore, they cherish this job very much.

Lu Tingwu thought about it and lowered his voice again.

In a voice that only the two of them could hear, he whispered:
"My daughter is only 16 years old, naturally beautiful, but she is proud and arrogant, and she is still unmarried. Ahem, do you understand what I mean?"

Bai Jianren straightened his back instantly, his eyes sparkling.

"Understand!"

"Ahem, alright. I'll give you this set of armor as well. Swords and guns don't have eyes, so be careful!"

……

Normally, the thin Bai Jianren would not fit in the cotton armor.
however,
However, the younger brothers discovered that the cotton armor did not sway at all when the eldest brother walked. I guess it was because his rapidly expanding bloodiness filled the gap.

Anyway,

Lu Tingwu used his daughter to make the nest, and the effect was quite good.

After all, Xiaoxiaosheng wrote a poem:

Her eyebrows are as dark as clouds, and her eyes are as beautiful as autumn water.

The embroidered shoes were half-folded into a small bow, and she laughed sweetly.

She wore a silk skirt cut to look like stars and the moon, and it was tightly tied around her slender waist.

The peach blossom's face is as white as jade and her skin is so beautiful that it cannot be described in words.

When Bai Jianren thought about the opportunity to get his hands on En Xiang's daughter, he felt full of energy and only wished he could pull her over immediately and accomplish something good.

……

"Formation, formation."

"The vanguards, take your positions."

In the 18th century, it was very difficult to train a group of uneducated country folk who could not distinguish left from right into qualified soldiers!
Bai Jianren was deeply troubled during the training process.

At last,
He figured out a solution.

First train your group of little brothers and let them stand on the far right of each column as the vanguard.

The soldiers in each column must remember who is to their left and who is to their right.

Relying on primitive methods, they managed to form a formation.

The world is in chaos.

Wu's army took over Hunan like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, and the defeated Green Camp soldiers moved south into Guangxi.

When officers and soldiers become bandits, their destructive power is doubled.

Bai Jianren led the militia across mountains and rivers in Wuzhou Prefecture and buried countless enemies with his own hands. In the midst of blood and fire, he grew from a young boy to a mature officer.

(End of this chapter)