Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 550: Marquis Jinghai strikes back and makes things worse~
In Quanzhou Prefecture, Marquis Jinghai Shi Lingyang was dressed in military uniform with a gloomy expression.

Under the account,

The crowd of confidants and relatives also stood in silence.

The murderous Wu Ting envoy is right next door, and the moment of final decision has come.

Scouts brought back the latest news from the north:
"Two days ago, Jianning, Fuzhou, Funing, and Yanping were all lost, and the vanguard of Wu's army had crossed the Minjiang River."

Scouts from the south also brought back news:
"Before the 6th, the Guangdong Wu army sent 3000 soldiers to attack Zhangzhou Prefecture and is currently besieging a detachment of Huang Shijian's troops stationed in Pinghe County."

……

Shi Lingyang's forehead was covered with beads of sweat.
He asked in a hoarse voice:

"What are the movements of the Wu army navy in Putian Port?"

"My Lord, I have personally investigated. Putian Port is on alert, warships are being replenished, sailors are on board, and they may go out to sea at any time, but the destination is unknown."

"understood."

Shi Lingyang sat back in his chair and thought hard.

There are only two paths before me:

First, change the flag and submit to Wu Ting. Keep the hereditary title, hand over half of the land on Tainan Island. The army will be reorganized, and he will go north to serve as a civilian official in the Navy Department.

Second, rely on Quanzhou City to resist Wu's army. Try to buy time to withdraw the elite troops and money and food to Dayuan Island, establish a separatist regime, and continue to fight against Wu court. In Dayuan, the Shi family still has more than 100 large and small warships, more than 7000 soldiers, tens of thousands of tenants, and unpredictable influence.

……

An old man from the clan came over and whispered:
"Patriarch, we can't hesitate any longer."

Shi Lingyang turned his inquiring eyes to his old subordinates.

A die-hard guerrilla fighter bowed his head and saluted:

"Whether to make peace or fight, it's your word. The brothers will obey you, sir."

The atmosphere in the tent was so depressing that it was hard to breathe.

suddenly,

The guard's voice came from outside the tent:
"My lord, you cannot go in."

"Go away."

……

The military tent was roughly opened along with the guards' screams of being beaten.

A man walked in, looked around, and said with a smile:

"What? Haven't you decided yet?"

The person who came was Fu Cong, Wu Ting's golden medal envoy to persuade him to surrender.

His record as a lobbyist:
Ma Zhongyi, attempted but failed, survived.

Lu Tingsheng, halfway through his mission, survived.

Shi Lingyang, unknown~
The generals in the tent glared angrily, their hands on the hilts of their swords.

I saw the fat and strong Fu Cong walked straight to the old man from the Shi family who was sitting:
"Move aside, let me take your chair."

……

Fu Cong leaned back in his official hat chair, unbuttoning his clothes:

"You guys continue with the meeting, I'll sit in."

Shi Lingyang suppressed his anger and said politely:
"Master Fu, please be patient and move to the next room for some wine and food."

"My Lord, I would like to kindly remind you that the longer you delay, the more disadvantageous it will be for you."

Shi Lingyang's confidant, the Penghu naval garrison could no longer hold back.

He walked up to Fu Cong and asked:
"Are the brothers who were laid off during the reorganization going to go home and farm?"

Fu Cong raised his head with contempt:
"I can't say what will happen to others. But I promise you, you will go back home and grow sweet potatoes."

……

The garrison was furious and drew his sword.

Fu Cong was also a scoundrel. He was least afraid of this and stood up and stretched his head over:

"Hit, kill me."

The guard's face flushed red, and he was in a dilemma holding the knife.

Seeing no movement, Fu Cong simply pushed him roughly:
"Cut it."

"Cut it, why not?"

The garrison was pushed back by him, his feet unstable, he staggered backward and several generals fell down with him. There was chaos in the central army tent.

……

Fu Cong was originally a gangster like Niu Er, and he loved to show off in public.

He actually kicked the defender so hard that his teeth broke and blood splattered.

Shi Ling was shaking with anger, slamming the table and shouting:

"unacceptable."

Suddenly, more than a dozen people drew their swords.

Fu Cong was more abstract, pointing at Shi Lingyang and shouting:
"Marquis Jinghai, do you have any other options now besides surrendering?"

"The sea is not your retreat. If you rebel, the pirate Cai Qian and Lin Shuangwen of the Tiandihui will be more than happy to see you. They will kill all your men in Dayuan and then happily accept your offer of amnesty."

"I'm thinking about you. After all, you surrendered, and I, as a lobbyist, will also be proud."

No one spoke inside the tent.

All I could hear was Fu Cong roaring loudly.

……

"Marquis Jinghai, I might as well tell you. When the troops reach Quanzhou, you and your people will be of no use."

"Lu Tingsheng from Guangxi is a precedent."

"If you miss this village, you will miss this store."

Shi Lingyang was sweating profusely. He stood up and walked down, kneeling on one knee.
He bowed and said:
"Shi Lingyang, the hereditary Marquis of Jinghai, the general of Funing Town, and the prefect of Quanzhou, is willing to submit to the Great Wu."

inside the account,

Everyone knelt down and shouted:

"Submit to Da Wu."

Fu Cong took a deep breath and helped Shi Lingyang up:

"My Lord, please stand up quickly. Time is running out. You need to do a few things immediately. First, cut off the braid. Second, send troops to encircle and suppress Huang Shijian. We must cut off his head before the friendly troops from Guangdong."

"I obey your orders."

……

On the top of Quanzhou City, the Qing Dynasty’s flag was thrown down.

A hastily made white silk and black ink "Wu" flag was slowly raised.

Several members of the Shi family carried the golden seal of Marquis Jinghai, rushed out of the city gate on horseback, and headed to Fuzhou for contact.

The gates of Quanzhou were wide open.

All generals above the rank of Qianzong cut their braids.

After cutting off his braids, Shi Lingyang personally led the elite troops by land and sea to attack Zhangzhou Prefecture in the south.

3 days later,

Four Jiangnan-class ships and six troop transport ships of the Wu army stationed in Putian sailed into Quanzhou Bay and took over the docks and military port without bloodshed.

Fu Cong stood on the top of the city wall and watched his infantry enter the city gate, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Soon after, he was promoted to Director of the External Liaison Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

New department, new journey. Thus, the Wu Empire started its "strong diplomacy mode" which was praised and criticized.

……

In the ancestral hall in Zhangzhou City.

Haicheng Gong Huang Shijian's face was ashen as bad news came one after another.

Pinghe County, his old nest adjacent to Guangdong, had fallen, and his two sons and four nephews had died in the battle.

A captain in Haicheng County suddenly turned against the party.

A detachment of Shi Lingyang's troops boarded a ship to bypass Jinxia, ​​and with the support of the team, they landed on the mudflats of Haicheng County (Longhai) by sampan.

Zhangzhou has become a turtle in a jar.

Enemy on three sides.

……

He looked at the tablets of his ancestors and laughed out loud without restraint.

"I'm not willing to do that. I'm not willing to do that."

The guards watched in horror as he poured tung oil in the ancestral hall like a mad lion, and then set fire everywhere with candlesticks in his hands.

"grown ups!"

Faced with a group of close personal soldiers who wanted to rescue him, Huang Shijian drew his sword and forced them to retreat.

He shouted sharply:

"roll."

"Everyone get lost."

"After I die, you will find your own way to survive. You can escape, surrender, become a bandit, or go to sea."

The fire gradually spread and black smoke billowed into the sky in the city.

This became the last straw that broke the camel's back for Zhangzhou's city defense.

……

At this time, Shi Lingyang's 15000 troops were already outside the city.

Looking at the black smoke rising from the city, he whispered:
"Pass the order down, kill anyone you see, and don't take any prisoners in this battle."

"Whoo."

Amid the sound of drums, a large number of soldiers carrying ladders charged towards Zhangzhou.

The enemy's morale in front of us has been broken, and we only need to give them a slight push, and then they can do whatever they want behind us.

Fighting this kind of bird fight is the most exciting.

Just as Shi Lingyang expected, more than 5000 defenders raised white flags, lowered the drawbridge and surrendered, and ran head-on into Shi's musketeers.

The sound of gunfire
The soldiers of Shi's army launched a one-sided killing.

……

Shi Lingyang climbed Dingzhai Mountain on the outskirts of the city to overlook the battlefield.

He had already made up his mind that he must kill all the soldiers, officials and gentry loyal to Duke Haicheng as soon as possible to prevent future troubles.

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The Shi family has experienced too many ups and downs and has a good understanding of history.

Marquis Jinghai and Duke Haicheng were both old relatives of Zheng, the King of the Country.

The first Duke of Haicheng was of humble origin and was just a yamen runner. Later he became a fierce general of the Zheng family. However, at the critical moment of the Ming-Qing War, he defected to the Qing court with his elite troops and Haicheng County, a solid fortress with a huge supply of weapons and armor.

Zheng Chenggong was so angry that he vomited blood.

After the world was settled, the families of Marquis Jinghai and Duke Haicheng were both in Fujian but had a bad relationship.

The Qing court has always used the line of Haicheng Gong to guard itself.

Therefore,
If I show mercy today and leave the captives, the Emperor of Wu will release and reuse these officers and soldiers from the former Duke of Haicheng to restrain me in the future.

The heart of an emperor has always been like this.

……

Flame, massacre~
The soldiers were fully releasing the brutality in their hearts.

Shi Lingyang stood on the top of a mountain more than 70 feet high and watched all this silently.

Why do people want to climb up?

Because climbing to the top of the mountain and looking at the world is like looking at ants. Thousands of ants move because of one's own wind, and die because of one's own will.

Shi Lingyang looked up and saw the sky was blue, pure and transparent.

he thinks,

The sky should be the emperor’s exclusive perspective.

In the eyes of the emperor, the so-called hereditary Marquis of Jinghai was nothing more than a jackal.

……

I do not know how long it has been,

An officer named Shi climbed to the top of the mountain and reported in a low voice:
"My Lord, the lieutenant of the 5th Corps of the Guangzhou Wu Army, Miao Youlin, is here."

"Let's go down the mountain to welcome you."

Miao Youlin rode on his horse and looked out at the hell-like Zhangzhou city.

Not far away, the soldiers of Marquis Jinghai were carrying corpses, throwing them one by one into the Jiulong River and into the sea.

Miao Youlin had a complicated expression and waved to his staff to follow him.

The two talked in low voices.

After his staff's analysis, he suddenly realized.

The good thing about Miao Youlin is that he can recognize reality. He knows that he does not have the brains of a civilian, so he is willing to listen to his staff when encountering problems.

"Master, I have recommended your admission. You can report in the spring of next year. It won't be a problem for you to be appointed as a county magistrate after graduation. Which province do you want to go to? I can help you arrange it."

"Xie Dongweng."

……

The staff suppressed his ecstasy and whispered:
"If possible, I still want to go back to Guangdong."

"Sure?"

"determine."

Miao Youlin agreed readily.

He thought that his staff were showing their loyalty to him, but in fact it was not the case at all.

The 5th Army Corps was stationed in Guangdong for one year, but that didn't mean it would stay there forever. The Field Army could leave at any time, but it was just a transfer order from the Army Department.

The staff simply judged that the future prospects of being a county magistrate in the coastal areas of Guangdong would be brighter.

The empire placed emphasis on industry, commerce and maritime trade.

Let me ask, is there any region in the world that can meet these two conditions better than Guangdong?
Jiangnan can't compare. Although Jiangnan can transport goods by river and sea, compared with Guangzhou, the southbound fleet has to sail 1500 miles longer and has to pass through the turbulent Dayuan Strait.

……

Today, two-thirds of Fujian has been annexed by the Wu court, with only a few areas in western Fujian remaining. But it is only a matter of time.

There are no soldiers in Fujian who can fight anymore.

The local gentry and powerful people did not have a strong resistance mentality.

Although Wu Ting levied a comprehensive land tax, he lifted the maritime ban, which brought more benefits than disadvantages to most wealthy families in Fujian.

The gentry who own large tracts of fertile land in Fujian are mostly from those few families.

Huang's family is finished, their land and property are confiscated.
The Lin family is a family of scholars, and even if they wanted to resist, they had no power to do so.

In addition there are the Chen, Yan and Wu families.

All these famous families chose to bow their heads and offer their loyalty. So, what kind of storm can those lonely local officials stir up?
……

Wu's army, which was originally stationed in Zhejiang, entered Fujian and calmly cleaned up the mess, arresting those who should be arrested, killing those who should be killed, and confiscating the homes of those who should be confiscated.

at the same time,

The transfer order from the Ministry of Army arrived in Hubei:
"The 4th Army Corps has entered Zhangzhou Prefecture and is preparing to cross the sea to receive the senior officials."

On the day the transfer order arrived, the military camp was in deathly silence, and everyone was sighing and groaning as if they had lost their parents.

The smuggling business is over.

The money flew away.

……

However, military orders are as heavy as mountains.

The 4th Legion quietly packed up and prepared to set off.

Before leaving, they did something big: they collected a deposit in advance from the tea smugglers in the north.

Not much, just 20 taels.

Then he walked away and smashed the pot~
Since my 4th Legion couldn't eat the food, the others didn't have any intention of eating it either.

No matter who wants to continue this smuggling business, they cannot avoid an unsolvable dilemma - trust.

Trust is fragile and once broken it is difficult to repair.

It is hard to say whether the 4th Corps has learned the lesson from smuggling in Yangzhou.

The news of the gangsters eating the gangsters reached the capital, and many princes and military officials were angry and cursed. Even Yu Minzhong was quite depressed because he had a 1% stake in the tea smuggling business.

……

The 4th Corps packed their bags and assembled in Wuchang first, depositing the silver into the Wuchang branch of the Sihai Bank, mainly because they were attracted by the bank's service of withdrawing silver in other places.

It fully reflects the trust in the court and the 4th Corps' non-committal style.

I came out to fight, what's wrong with earning some money and sending it back home?
It is only natural~
after that,

They took a boat down the river, changed to a seagoing ship in Taicang, sailed out of the Yangtze River estuary and headed south along the coastline.

After sailing along the coastline and arriving at Zhangzhou Prefecture, we rested there.

When to board the ship?

That depends on God's temper.

It is summer.
The violent Pacific typhoons are coming, one after another, destroying everything in their path.

……

When the typhoon howled,
A rather professional geographical seminar is being held at the headquarters of the 4th Corps.

In addition to dozens of military officers, a Fujian citizen who knew the senior official well was also invited to the meeting.

"What do you want to ask, sir?"

"What are the dangers on Dayuan Island?"

"what?"

"What are the situations where people are likely to die?"

"Oh, the strait is windy and rough, so we need a big ship with experienced sailors. Too many small boats capsized~"

Huang Si nodded, both points were met: big ship and experienced workers.

Asked again:
"Any more?"

"There are a lot of mosquitoes on the island, and their bites can make you sick."

"Keep talking."

"You must not cross the barbarian border. The east is all primeval forest. There are miasma, poisonous insects, and man-eating barbarians in the mountains. Alas~"

"No plains?"

"Yes, there are. The entire west coast is a vast plain rich in rice. Traveling all over Qing Dynasty - oh no, travel all over Wu Dynasty, the soldiers can't find a place where the rice price is cheaper than in Dayuan."

……

The officers looked at each other and smiled with relief.

Although you are a senior official, you are isolated overseas, but the world is vast and there is much you can do.

(End of this chapter)