Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 538: Guangxi surrenders, the Gui army is reorganized, and the number is the 7th Army Corps
Lin Huaisheng was cautious.
He ordered the beheading of more than 100 armed leaders from western Hunan, led by Zeng Di, outside the city of Fenghuang.

The head was hung outside the city.
An elite force was secretly deployed nearby to kill any criminals who intended to approach and collect the bodies.

Simultaneously,

A small number of the elderly, the weak, the sick and the disabled were selected from the captives, their families were detained, and they were ordered to go to the surrounding mountains to persuade them to surrender.

The remaining prisoners were divided into teams of 10, with their right ankles tied with a hemp rope, and were escorted out of the mountains along the Tuojiang River, the Wushui River, and the Yuanjiang River.

The Army Department has already planned to establish the Second Expeditionary Corps.

The captives from Xiangxi must not be released.

Part of it was incorporated into the 2nd Expeditionary Army, and part of it was sent to Daye Iron Mine.

The people of western Hunan who were forcibly relocated moved to the vicinity of Changsha to cultivate the unowned farmland left by the war deaths.

Anyone who escapes will be executed.

……

The staff officers unanimously agreed that it would be best if the scattered Qing troops in Wuling Mountain were willing to surrender. If they were unwilling to surrender, that was fine too.

Supplies are scarce in the mountains, so a small army can just guard the cities and transportation routes.

Lin Huaisheng approved this plan.

The mountains cannot support a full-fledged army, but at most can support small groups of bandits.

To the west, Tongren was blockaded by the Guizhou Army.

To the east, Changde was blockaded by Wu troops.

In addition, the area along the Yuan River has become almost deserted, with no one to cultivate the land and provide for the people. Xiangxi is no longer able to make waves.

……

In order to reduce the supply pressure, Lin Huaisheng ordered the withdrawal of 5000 soldiers back to Changde Prefecture first.

It's an easy journey down the river by boat.

There were few attacks along the way.

The stragglers no longer had the energy to engage in guerrilla warfare. They huddled in caves in panic, searching for food and salt.

A few days later,
Wang Shenglie came with only a team of personal soldiers.

The braid at the back of his head had been cut off and he was wearing a long silk gown, looking like a merchant.

"Criminal General Wang Shenglie pays respect to Marshal Lin."

"Please stand up quickly. You don't have to bow to me anymore. This is against the rules of the court."

Wang Shenglie was at a loss~
Lin Huaisheng still had no expression on his face:
"Your Majesty has decreed that Wang Shenglie has a broad vision and is to be conferred the title of Earl of Loyalty, rewarded with 50 taels of silver, and granted 100 mu of land in Songjiang for building a house."

"Uncle Zhongcheng, congratulations."

……

After sending Wang Shenglie away, Lin Huaisheng secretly summoned the envoy who went to Guizhou to contact and persuade the enemy to surrender, and inquired about the process in detail.

The next day,

He also summoned Wang Shenglie to accompany him in inspecting the Great Wall in western Hunan.

I saw that the city walls were continuous, solid and thick.

"I never thought that there would be such a magnificent and long-lasting fortification in the mountains of the southwest."

"Marshal Lin, you don't know that the savage tribes outside the wall are very fierce. Since the pre-Ming Dynasty, the officers and soldiers have organized many campaigns to suppress them, but the savage tribes have always been defeated but not destroyed."

"What do the savages rely on?"

"They are familiar with the mountains and are fearless. The savages are divided into two groups. The Laershan tribe likes to wear red, while the Leigongshan tribe likes to wear black."

"What's the scale?"

"All the men, women, old and young, add up to less than 100,000 people. If there are more, we won't be able to support them."

Wang Shenglie spent most of his career fighting against tribes in Guizhou.

So he is the one who knows the situation best.

After thinking for a while, he added:

"With the Great Wall of Western Hunan and the elite troops under your majesty's command, the barbarians are nothing to worry about. If they dare to come out of the mountains, we will suppress them. If they don't, let them fend for themselves. It will not harm the overall situation."

……

2 days later,

A Wu army marched into Zhenyuan City.

Wang Shenglie, wearing Wu army uniform and riding a war horse, walked in the front and entered his familiar territory with the attitude of a victor.

Not long after,

News came that Zhou Xifa, the general of Weiyuan Town, had raised troops to respond to the royal army's entry into Guizhou.

The two armies attacked from the east and west, besieged Guiyang, and waited for heavy artillery to arrive from the rear.

When the news reached Kunming, Agui couldn't sleep in the middle of the night.

Sitting in the government office, I felt extremely confused about my future.

After repeated consideration, he decided not to send troops to rescue, but to gather his elite troops near Kunming.

Guizhou, no more.

……

From a rational point of view, it is not cost-effective for Agui to waste his elite troops and money and food in Guizhou.

During the Qing Dynasty, Guizhou had the lowest tax rate in the entire province.

The total amount does not even reach a single state or county in the east.

Agui had served as a military minister for many years. He knew that the only requirement of the Qing court for Guizhou was that it should not rebel.

Saving Guizhou is unwise.

Besides, he had another worry.

Guangxi and Wu Ting were flirting with each other. If he led troops to rescue Guiyang, Guangxi would suddenly send troops to Yunnan and stab him in the back.

Have to guard against ~
……

The next day,

He sent several secret messengers to sneak into Guizhou with letters of appointment written on bright yellow silk.

All the chieftains in Guizhou were granted the title of chief king, and the title was hereditary.

All the gentry in Guizhou were granted fiefdoms and became prefects, and the title was inherited from generation to generation.

The chief of the Laershan tribe was named "King of Tongren", and the chief of the Leigongshan tribe was named "King of Qiandong".

The main point is that since I can't get it, you can't use it well.

Hurt, hurt each other.

A light letter of appointment looks ridiculous.

but,
Someone will definitely take it seriously.

Because "people die for money and birds die for food" is an irrefutable truth.

……

However, Wu Ting was also very rational.

Conquering Guiyang and controlling the Yunnan-Guizhou passage would mean achieving the strategic goal.

As for other areas in Guizhou, we will not ask for the time being.

If you are willing to surrender, you will be rewarded with a large amount of silver.

If they don't want to, don't force them. Just live your own life and don't cause trouble. When the world is settled, I will come back and deal with them severely.

When the news came out, everyone was excited.

Only Guangxi was in panic.

……

Fan Jing sent another envoy to meet with Lu Tingsheng, the Minister of Militia of Guangxi.

Harsh words:

"Xiangxi is already a precedent. If Guangxi continues to be stubborn, 10 troops will attack from Guangdong and Hunan as soon as possible. At that time, both sides will be destroyed and the consequences will be borne by themselves."

Lu Tingsheng was sweating profusely at the time, and after negotiating with his subordinates for two hours, he expressed his willingness to surrender.

But there are two small conditions:

First, Guangxi's taxation must not exceed the proportion collected by the Qing Dynasty. Second, the Guangxi Army must be properly resettled, either by reorganizing it or by issuing redundancy silver.

……

Many people were relieved that Guangxi was so sensible.

Fan Jing was overjoyed, as he could return to Suzhou to hand over the imperial envoy's seal. He had persuaded Guangxi and Guizhou, and his achievements were brilliant.

Officers like Bai Jianren who had experienced the Lianzhou Campaign also felt relieved and did not want to fight any further.

Lin Huaisheng also smiled rarely, feeling relaxed, and took his guards hunting for fun.

If Guangxi resists, it will be more troublesome than Xiangxi.

The territory is large, so more troops are needed. And once a flaw is revealed or a stalemate occurs, Agui, who has a strategic vision, will definitely send troops from Yunnan to disrupt the situation.

In that case, the Southwest would become a meat grinder.

打~
We need to concentrate more manpower and financial resources so that we have no time to launch the Northern Expedition.

No fight~
Guangdong is Wu Ting’s money bag, and Hunan is Wu Ting’s rice bag.

Guangxi! It borders Guangdong to the east and Hunan to the north.

During the Northern Expedition, if anything changed, Guangdong and Hunan would be in danger.

Guangxi is similar to Xuzhou. In peacetime, it seems ordinary. But when war breaks out, it becomes a hot commodity.

……

Lu Tingsheng was also very decisive. He decided to concentrate 4 people to besiege the provincial capital Nanning.

Surround but don't attack.

He publicly announced a change of allegiance and raised the flag of the Wu army.

Loudly accuse the Qing government of 18 crimes.

On the city wall of Nanning, Guangxi Governor Sheng Rong was so angry that he jumped up and down and cursed loudly.

15 days later,

The 8000-man vanguard of the Wu army, which set out from Yongzhou, Hunan, arrived late and was delayed when passing through Guilin Prefecture.

Guilin is the place with the most prosperous cultural heritage in Guangxi, and it is a place with beautiful mountains and rivers and is home to many talented people.

In gratitude to the Qing government, the four families of Chen, Long, Zhang and Liu organized local militia to defend the city.

It took the Wu army two days to break through the provincial capital of Lingui with its overwhelming artillery advantage, and more than 2 officials, gentry and officers of all levels were beheaded in public.

The Guilin landscape changes color. …

"Lord Lu, once our artillery fire has suppressed the enemy, you can attack."

"As ordered."

Lu Tingsheng looked around, feeling bitter.

The Wu army was extremely vigilant, with cannons pointed at the top of Nanning city.

The howitzers and mortars used against the infantry were secretly pointed at the Gui army on the east side, and the infantry made no secret of their vigilance.

"fire."

At the officer's command, the 12-pound cannons spewed out flames, and more than a dozen solid iron balls smashed into the city wall.
Lu Tingsheng watched intently.

This was the first time he witnessed the Wu army's artillery skills.

The first impression is that it can hit far, the second impression is that it can hit accurately.

The scientific way to attack a city with artillery is to destroy the battlements, enemy towers, arrow towers, and gate towers, leaving the defenders with no place to hide, rather than bombarding the city walls in an attempt to bring them down.

of course,

If the caliber of the artillery is particularly large, or the city wall is very thin, it is a different matter.

……

On the city wall of Nanning, the Qing army's artillery also counterattacked.

After a quarter of an hour, it was obvious that he was no match for his opponent.

Seeing that the time was right, the Wu army artillery pushed more 6-pound cannons closer and joined the bombardment sequence.

The city walls of Nanning were filled with smoke.

A captain deliberately pulled his horse closer and asked:
"Master Lu, have you ever seen such firepower?"

"I've never heard of it, and I've never seen it before." Lu Tingsheng replied sourly.

After another quarter of an hour, the shelling stopped.

It was the Gui army's turn to perform.

The Wu army messengers held up a small red flag and ran and shouted:
"I have received your order. Capture Nanning. Do not bring shame to the people of Guangxi."

……

The huge Gui army and militia carried ladders and rushed towards the city wall filled with smoke.

A dozen long and narrow trench cars were pushed into the moat, splashing water.

Countless people carried bags of sand and threw them into the moat.

Slowly, more and more ladders were set up.

The defenders also began to fight back, using bows and arrows, rocks and logs, boiling oil, and bottles of lime.
The ladder was stained with blood.

Soldiers kept falling while climbing, and others kept charging forward on ladders.

Under the city wall,
The Gui army's archers and musketeers also began to suppress.

The two sides fought evenly and suffered heavy casualties.

From time to time, defenders who were hit by arrows fell from the bare city walls, emitting shrill screams.

Guangxi Governor Sheng Rong held a big knife and led his personal soldiers to supervise the battle.

He knew very well that once Nanning fell, there would be no chance of him being forgiven.

……

"Brothers of the Green Camp, I will stand here. If the city is breached, I will be the first to jump down from here."

"Yungui King Agui's reinforcements are on the way, hold on."

"Pour the oil, burn them, burn them to death."

A lot of tung oil was stockpiled in Nanning City and dumped and burned.

Black smoke billowed from the bottom of the city, and one ladder after another was burned down.

Lu Tingsheng clenched his fists as he watched.

However, the Wu army remained motionless and watched the battlefield, with no intention of lending a helping hand.

several times,
He wanted to ask for help.

1000 musketeers, no, 800 will be enough.

……

Fu Cong, the envoy standing next to him and who had dealt with him twice before, cunningly guessed what he was thinking.

whispered:
"Sir, the fire is not yet ready."

Lu Tingsheng sighed silently in his heart. He roughly understood Wu Ting’s intention - to show his power!

The battle of Nanning made the Gui army feel awe.

The retreating Gui army began to reorganize the attack.

The second ant attack on the city.

There are over ten thousand people, and it seems endless.

Bai Jianren, a general from Wuzhou Prefecture, was also among them, holding a sword and shield and rushing forward with his head down.

"Kill, kill into Nanning."

Anyone with a little bit of understanding could guess the reason why the Wu army in the rear stood idly by.

Today's battle is both a token of the Gui army's surrender and an assessment of its combat effectiveness.

If we can capture Nanning, we will be looked upon with a higher regard.

If we fail to take Nanning, our future will not be easy.

……

Dozens of ladders were set up on the city wall again.

2000 Gui army archers shot wildly outside the city, even if they accidentally hurt their own people.

Those who climb the ladder are even faster.

Behind the battle line, Wu army officers whispered about the performance of friendly forces.

Lu Tingsheng heard a sentence: It’s a bit like the Xishan Jianrui Camp.

The siege was extremely bloody.
Personal martial arts are meaningless at this time, both sides are killing each other crazily.

The casualties were like autumn leaves, falling continuously.

A quarter of an hour later, the will of the Nanning defenders collapsed.

Governor Sheng Rong walked to the city wall and wiped his neck.

Corpses fell into the city.

The frenzied Gui army and militia climbed up the city wall with ladders and shouts, cut off the Qing flag and raised the Wu flag.

……

Lu Tingsheng closed his eyes and clenched his fists.

For a long time,

The Wu army moved, and the infantry headed towards the suspension bridge.

A lieutenant came over and clasped his fists:
"Please ask Lord Lu to enter the city and quickly order his soldiers to withdraw from Nanning for reorganization. Leave the city defense to us."

"Okay, okay."

Lu Tingsheng jumped on his horse and rushed towards the city gate, shouting all the way.

Half an hour later,
Two things were carried out simultaneously inside and outside the city.

Inside the city, the house-confiscation task force, which was responsible only to His Majesty, was familiar with the route and arrested officials, gentry, powerful people, and merchants at all levels one by one.

Arrest people, seal doors, and search homes.

The whole process has been refined and streamlined.

He not only interrogated the prisoners, but also visited the neighbors and instigated some local clerks to provide clues.

The fish scale book is full of water.

Hidden fields and hidden properties were uncovered one after another.

The confiscation work group deeply understood the meaning of the tip of the iceberg and proposed to Your Majesty to "remeasure the land in the world."

This is a big deal.

Although Your Majesty has long wanted to find out the acreage of land in the world.

However, if one hair is pulled, the whole body will move.

At the moment, it was impossible to devote enough manpower and energy to implement the "National Land Survey", so the campaign was put on hold for the time being.

……

outside the city,

The Gui army is being reorganized on the spot.

"According to the imperial decree, the Gui army is loyal and brave enough to fight. It is reorganized into 1 to 5 men and is designated the 2th Corps of the Imperial Army."

[The Wu court believed that if the Gui army failed to capture Nanning today, at most they would be given three infantry regiments to reorganize.]

"Guangxi, now that it has been incorporated into the imperial court, should pay taxes and grain."

"Each mu of land must pay 40 catties of spring and autumn grain, and the gentry are no exception. The corvée is 15 days a year, but Your Majesty has granted special favor, and those who serve will never leave the county."

"In view of the fact that Guangxi has just been annexed, the collection of spring grain will be left to the gentry of each county. Depending on the population, each county will elect 2 to 4 people as grain collectors. The amount of grain consumed by fire must not exceed 10 catties per mu. Those who violate the order will be executed."

"Guangxi has little land and few resources. Your Majesty sympathizes with the people and has specially ordered the abolition of all taxes except land tax and corvée."

"Brothers, after you take the severance pay and return home, you must spread the new tax and corvée regulations to all the villages."

……

Outside the city of Nanning, the army was dismantled and reorganized on the spot.

Those who pass the test will be listed and wait for the issuance of uniform military uniforms and weapons.

Those who failed the test had to leave their weapons behind and receive 20 big-head coins before returning home.

Wu's army was armed with live ammunition and artillery.

Everything was in good order and it took three days to complete the entire reorganization process.

Most of the former local powerful officers in the Gui army were dismissed and received severance pay ranging from 100 to 200 taels of silver.

No one dares to act rashly~
At this point, the 7th Legion was announced!

[Let me explain, the keywords of the future empire are: industry, colonialism, immigration, balance strategy, sea power, culture. In the early stage, we will engage in Japanese-style early consortiums, and in the later stage, we will move closer to the capitalists of the Roosevelt era. ]

[The domestic plot will speed up slightly in the future, and the style will remain consistent. You can trust Xiao Xiaosheng's overall view and boldly open a full subscription. There will be no phenomenon of the rhythm breaking down due to the number of words. In one word: stable~]

(End of this chapter)