Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 544: Appease Fujian and Attack Yunnan with Force
Li Yu selectively received envoys from various parties to show his importance.

The Yu family of Jintan is cunning and treacherous, and they play two games at the same time.

When summoned,

Li Yu suddenly ordered someone to bring out two women, and the envoy was stunned.

When Jiangning was captured, some members of the Yu family did not escape and were later captured by the Wu army.

after that,

Many unmarried women were assigned to be wives of officers under his command.

Now the time has come and things have changed.

When the relatives met, they cried first.

When the news reached Huai'an, Yu Yunhe was stunned.

He understood instantly.
Wu Ting has been secretly plotting against the Yu family for a long time. Even if he doesn't go to find them, they will come to his house and make demands.

……

Finance Minister Hu Xueyu received Wang Danwang's advisor Yu Jinguang at his private residence.

acquaintance!

We have been cooperating for a long time.

Master Yu stated that Governor Wang was willing to lead the entire province of Fujian to submit to Wu Ting and to join the light.

but,

Governor Wang sincerely hopes that he can continue to serve Your Majesty and contribute to the new dynasty.

Hu Xueyu only agreed to hand over the generous gifts to His Majesty and convey Governor Wang's thoughts on his behalf.

He knew the interests involved and knew that His Majesty would never allow a parasite like Wang Danwang to continue in office.

Not killing is already a blessing from heaven.

Still want to be a frontier?
dream.

……

Wu’s army actually controlled Xianxia Pass and could march straight into Fujian.

But the slightly troublesome thing is that Wang Danwang seems to be showing signs of joining forces with the Shi family of Jinghai Hou.

The handwritten letter from Jinghai Hou Shi Lingyang was written with sincere words.

I also hope to serve the Wu court and help Your Majesty pacify all enemies in Fujian (including Tainan), and I voluntarily donate 2 acres of fertile land in Tainan.

The enemies mentioned by the Shi family include the troops of Huang Shijian, the admiral of the Fujian Navy entrenched in Zhangzhou Prefecture, and the pirate Cai Qian's troops.

Huang Shijian was a die-hard supporter of the Qing court.

Huang's army and Shi's army fought several battles, and then it turned into a long-term confrontation.

Both sides built camps and dug deep trenches.

The report submitted by the Intelligence Agency's personnel stationed in Fujian pointed out that the Marquis of Jinghai was waiting for a good price and keeping the enemy at bay for his own benefit.

……

After reading the letter, Li Yu stared at the visitor:

"What does Shi Hou want?"

"Thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all blessings from heaven. I dare not speak rashly."

Li Yu smiled with a complicated expression, looked at the Shi family member who still had braids, and asked:

"What is the personal relationship between Lord Shi and Wang Danwang?"

The visitor was stunned and quickly denied it:

"Before I set out, the Marquis has already told me that I will follow your Majesty's lead in everything."

"Yes. But I still have one thing that I don't understand. Why is Huang Shijian still lingering on?"

"Your Majesty, Huang Ni has been operating Zhangzhou for a long time, and the Minnan soldiers under his command are all old and fierce veterans. In addition, the pirate Cai Qian often provides food support from the sea, so, so~"

"It seems that our Marquis Jinghai is still a little lacking in commanding the army, and lacks the style of our ancestor."

"Come on, pass the order to Guangdong, order Miao Youlin to mobilize the elite of the 5th Corps to attack Zhangzhou from Chaozhou Prefecture. Cooperate with Jinghai Hou, one in the south and one in the north, to kill Huang Shijian."

The envoy was frightened and knelt on the ground, not daring to say much, but just expressed his loyalty again and again.

……

Liu Qian, director of the Intelligence Bureau, was ordered to privately meet with pirate Cai Qian and envoys of the Tiandihui Lin Shuangwen.

First meeting,
The three parties felt that their temperaments were quite compatible.

They are all people of the same social class and have similar tastes.

Liu Qian was so experienced that he was able to quietly test the true intentions of both parties and the strength of the so-called alliance while drinking and chatting.

The pirate Cai Qian smuggled rice from Taiyuan Island in Changhua County and then sold it to Huang Shijian in Zhangzhou at a high price.

Lin Shuangwen, the leader of the Tiandihui, had many connections in Changhua County and acted as a local tycoon in the rice smuggling chain.

……

finally,
Wu Ting pieced the pieces together and roughly outlined the current power map of Fujian:

Huang Shijian's troops, loyal to the Qing court, retreated to Zhangzhou~
Shi Lingyang used the pirates to gain power, hoping to continue his title in the new dynasty and to keep his family in Fujian. At the same time, the Shi family was suspected of deliberately allowing the Tiandihui and pirates to smuggle rice.

Wang Danwang and Marquis Jinghai should have talked privately, but their relationship was not solid. They were simply afraid that Wu Ting would suddenly turn against them, so the two of them huddled together for warmth.

Just hit one and appease the other, and the relationship between Wang and Shi would immediately break down.

Cai Qian was in great danger. Due to the long-term war between Qing and Wu, there was a vacuum in coastal defense. Cai's pirates occupied the islands and their scale gradually increased.

The Tiandihui was deeply rooted in the grassroots of the northern and central parts of Tainan Island. It had a complex interpersonal network and a large number of members, but was not heavily armed.

……

Shi Lingyang wants to continue to be a marquis, Wang Danwang wants to continue to be a governor, Cai Qian wants to be the commander-in-chief of the southeast maritime forces, and Lin Shuangwen wants to clean himself up and go ashore.

Anyway,

Everyone is trying to achieve the best interests for themselves.

The reason they dared to implicitly put forward conditions to Wu Ting was nothing more than the province's special geographical environment.

Fujian has many mountains and little food.

Dayuan is isolated overseas, the strait is windy and the waves are rough, and there is heavy miasma and ferocious savages on the island.

Chicken ribs~
The court gets little meat, and it would be a pity to lose it.

The easiest way is to reward them and let them act as gold medal fighters to handle everything.

Without losing a single soldier, and without any pain.

……

However, they all overlooked one point.

For a land-based agricultural country, Fujian is a waste of resources.

For a maritime industrial country, Fujian is three inches below the navel. Even if it is not used normally, it cannot be touched by others.

What's more, the Wu State established its capital in Suzhou Prefecture.

The capital was too close to the sea, and the Jiangnan Plain had no strategic location to defend.

The first island chain (Luzon - Tainan - Ryukyu Islands - Fuso Islands) is the Wu version of the "Great Wall of the Sea".

The General Staff, the Intelligence Agency, and the Navy Department held secret consultations and tried to come up with a plan as soon as possible.

The purpose is:

How to control Fujian (especially the senior officials) with the lowest risk and cost without leaving too much trouble for the imperial court.

Who to unite with?
Who to deal with?
……

At this time, a secret letter from Lan Fang, a small country in Southeast Asia, was delivered to the Wu Palace.

After reading it, Li Yu was shocked.

Half a month ago, Lan Fang's Grand Commander Luo Fangbo actually went north in person, hoping that the Qing court would recognize its status as an overseas vassal state.

Li Yu gritted his teeth:

"What a bunch of fools! After living abroad for so long, they are beginning to miss the whip and saber."

"Summon Liu Qian to the palace."

After the emperor and his ministers had a secret conversation for an hour, Liu Qian hurriedly left the palace and secretly went to Jiangbei to meet Yu Yunhe.

……

At noon the next day,

The General Staff and the Navy Department also received clear instructions from His Majesty:
Wang Dan looked at where he was going and saw other arrangements.

The Intelligence Agency will spend money to help him operate. When Lan Fang becomes an overseas vassal state of the Qing Dynasty, Lao Wang will become the first official governor of Lan Fang appointed by the Qing Dynasty.

The Lan Fang immigrants who have lived overseas for a long time miss the Qing Dynasty.

We need to let Lan Fang return the favor.

Learn from past mistakes and educate others.

Therefore, the next planning strategy will only be formulated for Shi, Lin, and Cai!

On land, 5000 additional troops were sent to Xianxia Pass.

At sea, seven additional Jiangnan-class warships were dispatched to Wenzhou Port, with the third-class sailing battleship "Hell" as the flagship.

Be prepared.

……

The 7th (Gui) Army Corps, which had only had a short period of training, was ordered to march westward to Yunnan.

Army Minister Lin Huaisheng was stationed in Nanning to coordinate logistics.

The 7th Army Corps is newly attached and trust is limited.

All the staff and artillery came from Wu’s army.

Coupled with the fact that logistics is strangled, it is unlikely that the Gui army will do anything unthinkable.

There are generally two routes to enter Yunnan from Guangxi.

The southern route is relatively difficult, so we chose the northern route.

The northern line was built during the Hongwu period and is roughly similar to today's Nanning-Kunming Railway.

First go northwest, then turn southwest, then west, and finally north.

Nodes along the way:

Nanning - Guohua Prefecture - Tianzhou - Baise Hall - Nazuo - Guangnan - Ami Prefecture - Jianshui County - Kunming Prefecture.

A long march. …

Most of the families of the 7th Corps were in Guangxi, so Lin Huaisheng was not worried that they would betray him and defect to the Qing court.

The premise is,
Take control of logistics yourself.

We must ensure that ammunition is not exhausted, but we cannot give too much at one time to prevent the 7th Corps from defeating Agui and then turning back to attack Guangxi.

Looking at the ammunition plan sent by the staff.

Lin Huaisheng suddenly realized that when he was in a high position, trust became a luxury.

The War Department will be wary of the 7th Army, and Your Majesty will also be wary of the War Department.

As soon as the thought comes,

Lin Huaisheng paced alone in the courtyard of the former Guangxi Governor's Office. He was surprised to find that trust was an unsolvable problem.

……

The 7th Legion’s troops stretched as far as the eye could see.

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The march from Nanning to Baise is relatively easy, as you only need to advance along the Youjiang River Valley.

There are mountains on both sides and we were not attacked.

The bloodbath of the Xiangxi Campaign had not yet faded, and Wu's army was already notorious for its viciousness.

The leaders of some small tribes in the mountainous areas of western Guangxi took the initiative to accept the policy of changing the native tribes to Han Chinese and moved their families to Songjiang Prefecture to settle down. The resettlement fee depended on the size of the tribe, ranging from 10,000 to 20,000 taels to 40,000 to 50,000 taels.

Those tribes that are temporarily unwilling to accept it try to keep a low profile and dare not jump out to cause trouble.

Everyone understands the simple truth that killing a chicken to scare the monkey and he who knows the times is a hero.

……

Baise City has become a logistics hub.

The city was surrounded by trenches and low walls, and a large number of artillery were deployed on top of the city walls.

The 7th Corps dispatched 3000 soldiers to specialize in logistics escort.

Baise and Guangnan will be the two most important logistical nodes.

Bai Jianren, commander of the 7st Infantry Regiment of the 1th Corps, looked at the endless team with mixed feelings.

My father-in-law died, although not at the hands of Wu's army.

But it is also an indirect factor.

Minister of Militia Lu Tingsheng is gone, and perhaps he will never come back in this life.

"Who am I fighting for?"

This question lingered in his mind, with no answer.

During lunch, a few younger brothers came over.

Full of praise:

"Brother, the pistol issued by the court is really good."

……

Bai Jianren smiled:
"Are military uniforms bad?"

"Well, this is the best uniform I've ever worn. Brass buttons, leather belt, it's so classy."

"Yes, Emperor Wu is really rich."

Everyone suddenly fell silent~
Even the food standard is better than before.

Although Wu Ting was wary of the 7th Corps, he treated all the troops equally in terms of supply standards, and did not deduct any fees, uniforms, weapons, or food.

Except for military boots.

Straw sandals are more suitable for the physique of soldiers from Guangdong and Guangxi.

The 5th Corps stationed in Guangdong had long since abandoned their military boots and wore straw sandals for at least nine months a year.

Combat boots are too stuffy.

There have been several cases of foot ulcers leading to amputation.

Only with a conical hat on the head and straw sandals on the feet can one roam around Guangdong and Guangxi.

Well, and tobacco.

The smell of tobacco can repel mosquitoes to a certain extent, so the soldiers simply pickled themselves in the flavor.

Downwind of the marching troops, a faint scent of tobacco could be smelled from more than ten feet away.

……

Using troops in early summer is against common sense.

but,

Affected by the extremely cold winter of the previous year, there was insufficient sunlight from spring to summer in 1779. It was a cool summer.

Good news: the march is easy.

Bad news: food production has decreased.

Spring grain harvests throughout the south have declined, ranging from 10% to 20% in mild cases to nearly 30% in severe cases.

Jiangxi has good weather and Poyang Lake is calm.

It became the mainstay of the empire's granary.

Hunan and Hubei are still recovering from the war, and the autumn harvest is expected to return to its peak.

……

The easternmost part of Yunnan, Guangnan Prefecture.

The city is surrounded by mountains and built on the only flat land.

The Qing troops stationed in the city chose to retreat and defend, and at the same time sent fast horses back to Kunming to report the news of Wu’s attack.

The 7th Corps arrived in the morning, and the soldiers hastily made dozens of ladders.

The siege began in the afternoon.

Under the watchful eyes of the public, the artillerymen used 6-pound cannons to blast the battlements of the city wall one by one, and the gate tower even collapsed completely under the heavy load.

After the defenders had nowhere to hide, the soldiers carrying ladders and the four-man mortar crew took action together.

The Qing army in Guangnan stood on the bare city wall and collapsed after being bombarded by two rounds of mortar and shotgun shells.

The soldiers of the 7th Legion climbed up the city wall easily using ladders.

Looking at the suspension bridge slowly lowering.

Everyone felt a sense of unreality. Was a city taken down so easily?
……

Bai Jianren stared at the cannons that were still emitting smoke with burning eyes.

I shouted in my heart, cannon is the god of war.

The cannons were fired and destroyed everything in their path.

He approached the gunner and started to chat:

"What book are you reading, bro?"

"Parabola. You wouldn't understand even if I told you. Don't believe it? Then why don't you take a look at it?"

The gunner handed over the pamphlet with a smile.

The strange geometric parabola and densely packed numbers on it made Bai Jianren dizzy.

He returned it embarrassedly.

Pointing at the cannon, he asked:
"Dude, how do you aim this thing?"

The gunner hesitated and explained seriously:
"If the target is not far away, just aim straight, just like shooting a gun."

"The target is far away, so you have to learn mathematics. Trajectory, do you know trajectory? You definitely don't know."

……

Bai Jianren blushed slightly and walked around the cannon to observe it.

Men like big ones.

The gunner chuckled and said, "It's done."

It feels so good to pretend to be cool.

In fact, he was best at estimating distance and gunpowder weight. Although each battalion was equipped with a gun sighting quadrant, his image quadrant was still popular and he was promoted to warrant officer.

Most of the time he just followed the shooting table, fired a test shot first, observed the landing point, and then made fine adjustments, without using the so-called trigonometric functions.

……

Trigonometric functions?

Whoever learns it will have a headache.

The artillery department of Dongshan Infantry Officer School has a special subject examination for all gunners. Those who score 75 points or above will receive an additional 2 taels of silver per month, which is called "talent subsidy."

It is said that the Naval Officer School has higher subsidies, and hammock numbers and meal order are determined according to points.

Thinking of this,

The gunner could not help but sigh, put away the booklet, and said to himself:
"There is a golden house in the book, and I also want to get the talent subsidy."

……

In Kunming Prefecture, the atmosphere was solemn and grim.

Inside the palace,
Agui stared at the huge map in deep thought.

Just half an hour ago, he had learned the intelligence that Wu Jun launched an attack from Guangxi. He was secretly surprised that Wu Jun came faster than expected.

I was hesitant as to whether to fight or retreat.

A group of loyal officers, wearing armor, could not help but urge:

"My Lord, please make a decision quickly."

"We all listen to you. At worst, we will return home with our lives wrapped in our armor."

……

Agui turned around and stared at the loyal officers he had promoted personally.

He shook his head and said:
"This is a serious matter, it concerns the state, I need to think about it again."

Everyone was helpless and left with a bow.

Ah Gui went to the shogunate and told a clerk:
"Call Mr. Zhao."

"Whoo."

(End of this chapter)