Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 515 Li Yu's Counterattack~
Winter passes and spring comes,

Wu Ting started the war machine again.

People who often drive ships know that a warship must be preheated before it weighs anchor and leaves the port, otherwise the engine will not be able to start normally.

to this end,

His Majesty held a number of meetings of varying sizes in a concentrated manner.

A new Mining Bureau was established under the Ministry of Industry.

The first task of the Mining Bureau was to mine the Yunfu pyrite mine in Guangdong.

Pyrite, as the name suggests, can produce both iron ore and sulfur.

The Wu army fought continuously and consumed a huge amount of gunpowder.

The charcoal is completely self-produced and we have as much as you need.

7% of saltpeter comes from friendly merchants in Southeast Asia.

Of the sulfur, 6% comes from Fuso, 2% comes from Java, and 1% is produced domestically.

There are risks in relying too much on imports.

Large-scale mining of Yunfu pyrite can serve as a stable channel for sulfur raw materials.

……

The 6-minister system was broken and 3 additional ministers were added.

New Minister of Education,

It is under the jurisdiction of the Education Department, Health Department, Science and Technology Department, and Culture Department, and is a separate institute.

Wu Ao, the director of the Department of Health, has outstanding ideas and has been promoted to Minister of Education. Treating diseases and educating people can be compatible.

New Navy Minister,

Liu Wu, the commander-in-chief of the navy, also serves as the deputy minister of the navy.

New Chancellor of the Exchequer,

The position is held by Hu Xueyu.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer is responsible for the Budget Office, the Tax Office, the Audit Office, the Treasury, and a supervisory group.

The supervisory group is an independent, external agency led by His Majesty himself.

Hu resigned as Minister of Commerce and handed over the post to Fu Cheng to take over the position remotely.

The original Finance and Taxation Bureau was abolished, and the Queen resigned as Director of the Finance and Taxation Bureau.

In the future, as the empire develops, more ministers will be appointed~
……

Minister of Economics Fan Jing was given an important assignment - to go to the southwest to preside over negotiations with Guangxi and Guizhou.

His wife's family, Gusu Fan, failed in their bid for the position of Minister of Education and was quite disappointed.

But he was given such an important temporary task.

Hard to say,
Your Majesty, do you rely on me or not?

The Queen lost control of the Finance and Taxation Bureau and handed it over to her father. This can be considered as a favor from the Emperor.
In addition, Concubine Yang died.

From then on, the harem's interference in politics became history.

……

The Grand Canal has thawed and is now bustling with activity.

The Transportation Department used its full capacity and temporarily recruited a large number of civilian fleets to load all kinds of military supplies to its destination - Hunan.

Afterwards, some soldiers stationed in Hunan were withdrawn on the empty ship.

in addition,

Along the way, some of the recovered lightly wounded soldiers in Wuchang were transported back and sent to the Non-commissioned Officer School for short-term training after being promoted. They were then reallocated to fill the officer vacancies in various corps after the expansion.

Anyway,

Coming and going are not empty-handed.

……

The Shipbuilding Bureau sent personnel to Hunan and set up a shipyard in the Xiangtan section of the Xiangjiang River to facilitate the nearby felling and purchase of timber in the province.

Through practice, the Shipbuilding Department

A conclusion was reached:
Timber from Fujian, Hunan and Sichuan can be used to build inland warships and is of qualified quality.

It can be used to build merchant ships and is barely qualified.

Not suitable for use on naval warships.

Therefore, although Wu Ting established the Ministry of Navy and formally opened the Naval Officer School, he was still a long way from building his own naval warships.

His Majesty's reply was:

Buy!

First buy a small (level 6 ships, armed merchant ships) navy.

Pressure on the Chancellor of the Exchequer
If Shaoxing people are capable, let them do more. If they are not capable, let them be replaced.

……

Liu Qian, director of the Intelligence Bureau, returned to Suzhou and went into the palace for a secret talk for an hour.

Afterwards, Liu Qian spent several days personally investigating the assassination scene, interrogating the captives, reviewing the entire situation, and then went into the palace for a secret talk for two hours.

In the meantime,

The content of the conversation between the emperor and his ministers is unknown.

However, Liu Qian's expression was very solemn when he left the palace.

Fight back!

Must fight back!

Liu Qian returned to the Intelligence Agency’s headquarters in Mudu Town and appointed his troops.

Before leaving Suzhou,
He also obtained the consent of His Majesty and temporarily mobilized 3500 soldiers and 500 patrol police to jointly search the mountain.

……

The Intelligence Agency mobilized all its forces and even used all its hounds to conduct a dragnet search in cooperation with the garrison.

Nearby are Lingyan Mountain, Dajiao Mountain, Baimajian, Lu Mountain, Dayang Mountain and Shu Mountain.

The name sounds intimidating, but the actual average altitude is only about 30 meters.

In the era before Li Yu traveled through time, these small hills close together were the only hiking option for Suzhou people. It would take most of the day to walk all of them, and the safety factor was as high as five stars.

"Report to the Director, everyone is in place."

"let's start."

"As ordered."

……

All the soldiers were lightly equipped and went up the mountain to search.

People kept a distance of 1 to 3 meters between each other.

With the sparse forests in the south of the Yangtze River, there would be no chance of missing anything.

The soldiers were not nervous and treated it as just an ordinary mission.

along the way,
It scared away a lot of monkeys and birds.

We also encountered some people, including farmers, tourists, and pilgrims. We detained them all without asking why.

After the Intelligence Agency interrogated the suspects on the spot, they were released without suspicion.

……

suddenly,

A rocket rose from the top of the mountain and exploded.

Liu Qian smiled~
The Intelligence Agency has set up several lookout posts at nearby commanding heights. What did they discover?

2 quarters of an hour later,
The cavalry deployed on the surrounding plains captured two people.

He was covered in dust, his head was covered with leaves, and he looked very miserable.

However, these two people were not the big fish they expected, but thieves. They hid the stolen goods in the mountains, and just when they were about to dig them out and sell them, they happened to encounter a search of the mountains.

Liu Qian is very sorry~
Together!

Moreover, his skills were so bad that he couldn't even pick up the stones from the boiling water pot.

So, he was taught a lesson on behalf of the ancestor and then released.

……

When the search continued until noon, a discovery was finally made.

"Director, we caught a guy raising pigeons."

A simple thatched hut. There were traces of fire on the stove outside the door, and some thin bones on the ground.

Liu Qian squatted down to check and his face changed drastically.

"Where did the pigeon come from?"

The tied-up man rolled his eyes around.

"Your Excellency is wronged. I ate the pigeons I raised myself."

The voice just fell,

Liu Qian's boot stepped on his face.

At the same time, a long and sharp blade appeared in front of the man.

"Count to three. If you don't behave, I'll dig out your eyes."

"I'll recruit, I'll recruit."

……

The man was frightened and quickly confessed.

"Sir, I have a flock of pigeons. I use them to attract other pigeons, and I have meat to eat every day."

"How to attract?"

"Pigeons like to gather in groups. When my pigeons fly, they attract other lone pigeons. Then I catch them and eat their meat."

Liu Qian suddenly realized.

So this is what happened to the pigeons that the Intelligence Agency lost.

He stomped his boots hard and asked:
"You didn't find anything about the pigeons?"

"Yes, there is a discovery. It's intelligence."

……

As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of the people around him changed drastically.

Liu Qian lifted his foot and released it.

He took out his pistol and pointed it at the muddy man:

"Tell me, where is the information?"

"Throw it into the stove and burn it. The note is full of secret words, which I cannot understand."

"How do you know it's a secret code?"

"They are all numbers, and they don't make sense. It's obviously intentional." "Have you ever thought about deciphering the code?"

"Your Excellency is wronged. I just want to eat pigeons, why bother with that~"

Liu Qian almost pulled the trigger, but after thinking about it, he ordered:
"Tie him up and take him back for questioning."

"And take the pigeons he raised back with him."

……

The manhunt was carried out with great fanfare, and a host of miscellaneous fish were eventually harvested.

The only one who could be considered valuable was the pigeon farmer. When he was taken to the torture room, he confessed everything without any torture.

A poor gambler.

Hiding in the mountains and living a lazy life.

Meat is obtained by catching pigeons, and food is obtained by offering sacrifices.

There is a Wutong Temple nearby.
The so-called temple is only 3 feet high and is hidden in a valley surrounded by lush trees, making it difficult for passers-by to find it.

Wutongshen is an evil god, worshipped by desperate people and those who seek to make money through illegal means.

There are always some pilgrims who have received help and come back to fulfill their vows, offering pig heads, wine, and copper coins.
This guy would go there every now and then to take away the offerings and eat them with relish.

……

In fact, such people don't deserve to live.

But Liu Qian was surprised to find that this guy was very good at raising birds and could talk about it very knowledgeably.

then,

After being whipped, he was left to raise pigeons and falcons, and was codenamed "Bird Man".

This is just a small episode.

Afterwards, Liu Qian gathered his men and prepared to rush to the northern capital.

Instead of taking the Grand Canal, they took the sea route and landed in the Bohai Bay to sneak into the capital.

His Majesty gave clear instructions: Return tenfold!
No one in the Intelligence Agency dared to be negligent.

We must resolutely carry out His Majesty's instructions and give the Forbidden City a little shock.

……

When His Majesty heard that he would take a ship to the capital, he was a little surprised.

When the emperor ordered to borrow a boat, the navy was also very surprised.

But Liu Qian thought it was nothing.
real man!
Either they are robbing or they are stealing.

A real man lives a carefree life. He may be poor at one o'clock and rich at another. He only seeks excitement, not stability.

Above the headquarters,

After fluttering and circling a few times, the three pigeons flew towards the north.

Their mission was to first alert the chief of the intelligence station in Beijing, Jiang Tianmu, to prepare to welcome the director to Beijing.

The large amount of arms on the ship needed the connections and money of the intelligence station in Beijing to pave the way and be transported into the inner city in a swagger.

……

As the armed merchant ship sailed out of the Chongming Yangtze River estuary, the turbulence became noticeably more severe.

Liu Qian took two sips of wine to suppress the urge to vomit, walked to the deck, and waved to the headquarters intelligence officer Miao Renfeng.

"Master Niu, what do you want?"

That’s very professional!
When an agent is away from home, he can switch identities at any time.

"I have a confusion. Lao Fan's group wants to take over Guangxi peacefully, while Lao Hu's group intends to attack Guangxi by force. Is there any mystery in this?"

Miao Renfeng looked back and made sure there was no one around.

Then he whispered:

"It's mainly a dispute over interests. Behind Hu Guozhang are wealthy businessmen from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. These people are eager to kill people in every county and state, firstly to consume military funds and secondly to kill all the local gentry. They make money by purchasing military funds for the court and monopolizing business in the occupied areas, and make another profit."

Liu Qian nodded, thoughtfully.

……

Miao Renfeng whispered again:

"I think that Minister Fan and his group may have guessed your majesty's thoughts."

"What do you mean?"

"Balance. If we look at it by region, among the army, officers from Jiangsu and Zhejiang have too many personal ideas and pretend to obey. Officers from northern Anhui are too united and tend to stick together. Hakka officers from northern Guangdong are obedient and dare to fight. But the court is concerned about the conflict between Guangdong and Hakka, and is unwilling to break it up easily."

"You keep talking."

"If Lord Fan succeeds in this mission, the court can form the Guangxi Corps to inject fresh blood into the army. If Lord Fan fails, it will be a disgrace, and the Wangdao faction will know how to restrain itself in the future."

In the sea breeze,
Liu Qian leaned against the side of the boat and looked out, seeming to be thinking about something.

Suddenly turned his head:

"What other secrets are there in the court?"

"Before New Year's Eve, the salt merchant secretly met with Hu Guozhang in Suzhou Prefecture and probably took refuge there."

"source?"

"We have an informant in Mr. Huang's business."

"Be careful not to let others find out."

"I understand."

……

The Intelligence Agency spends money like water~
In order to raise funds for himself, Liu Qian instructed to secretly sell tea to Qingtong District.

The partner in this business is Liu Zhen, the wife of veteran Liu Akun, who is responsible for solving the supply problem.

The Intelligence Agency was responsible for solving the transportation and buyers' problems. Tea was shipped from Fujian by sea into the Bohai Sea and then delivered at Dagukou in Tianjin.

profit,

The Intelligence Agency got 5, Liu Zhen got 2, and Wang Danwang got 3.

The identity of the buyer from Tianjin is mysterious. In short, he is someone who can walk around in Zhili with his own might.

Such phenomena as fighting wars and engaging in smuggling at the same time may seem outrageous and absurd, but they are actually very normal.

In war, everyone fights for their lives.

During the ceasefire, everyone goes about business as usual.

It is difficult for ordinary people to figure out the affairs of important people.

……

Therefore,
It is easy to understand why the 4th Corps felt justified in collectively smuggling tea when it was stationed in Yangzhou.

If monks can do it, why can’t bald men do it?
The officers of the 4th Corps are still very unconvinced.

In Hubei, they quickly became friends with the local gentry, cracking down on the export of tea out of the country while smuggling tea into Henan by armed forces.

Henan Governor Liu Yong heard something about it but did not dare to intervene or ask questions.

The water of the wartime economy is too deep.

Even though he was a governor, he was not tall enough and would sink when he entered the water.

The two tallest people in the world, Hongli and Li Yu, may not be willing to delve into this matter.

As long as it doesn't involve arms, everything else can be tolerated as long as it's not excessive.

……

In Wuchang City, 4 officers of the 38th Corps took off their armor collectively and bid farewell to their comrades in tears.

Long before the heavy snow closed the road.

They received punishment orders from the Ministry of the Army, and were all dismissed from their posts and demoted to commoners, for their involvement in a major tea smuggling case in Jiangbei.

After receiving the order,
These 38 people had a particularly pleasant winter.

Busy eating, drinking and treating guests.

I gained 10 pounds in one winter.

After the spring, he boarded the ship back home under the envious gaze of his colleagues.

The two sides agreed,

We should visit each other more often in the future and engage in bilateral trade.

Such a good network of contacts must be maintained, the friendship between men who have fought together.

These guys who were demoted to commoners were responsible for transporting spices and cloth from Jiangnan, and then transporting rice, timber and spoils of war back from Hubei.

One positive and one negative, very profitable.

The key is to have your own people along the way, and you will be brave.

……

However, as soon as they arrived in Wuchang, they received the latest transfer order from the Ministry of the Army.

The content is as follows:

The empire was in need of manpower at the time, so the officers involved were given lenient sentences and collectively transferred from the 4th Corps to report to the Xiangxi front line to serve as officers in the front-line recruit company, with their military positions remaining unchanged.

moment,

Happiness disappears and sorrow doubles.

What the hell is that place on the Xiangxi front?

Crossing mountains and rivers, commanding light infantry to penetrate dense forests, and fighting against enemies who are hiding somewhere unknown?

however,
They dared not refuse the military order.

The family is all in Jiangnan, and the family business is thriving.

If you don't obey, all this will vanish in an instant.
……

His Majesty was a little angry about the 4th Legion's smuggling activities, but it was barely acceptable.

however,
I am very angry about this group of people who blatantly played dumb and did not follow the "surrender targets".

original,

According to unspecified indicators, there would be at least five county towns and one provincial capital in Hubei that "refused to surrender and armed themselves against the royal army."

In this way, war dividends of 500 to 800 million taels can be generated.

Just because those turtle bastards in the 4th Corps wanted to fight less and lose fewer lives, they organized the Hubei gentry to collectively welcome the royal army.

It not only damaged the court's income, but also damaged the business interests of major merchants in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

The impact is extremely bad.

Therefore,
The favors of fellow villagers cannot be retained.

……

The Ministry of the Army simply transferred these 38 officers to the brutal battlefield in western Hunan on charges of tea smuggling.

Xiangxi is different from Guangxi.

Wu's army and the Xiangxi armed forces formed a blood feud and the fight would not end until one of them died.

These 38 officers will serve as the first echelon to enter Wuling Mountain and Xuefeng Mountain.

(End of this chapter)