Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 557 Emperor Wu reveals his true feelings~
Led by the imperial guards in front, Marquis Jinghai Shi Lingyang walked into the Wu Palace nervously.

What I saw along the way,
Everything is so strange and so different.

After becoming Vice Minister of the Navy, he was surprised to find that although the distance was closer, he could not understand it even more.

The court etiquette of the Wu State was too casual, the people's clothing was frivolous, important officials liked to talk about profits, and merchants openly entered and left the government office.

All this goes against thousands of years of tradition.

He doesn't look like a monarch.

but,

When he was taken to visit Ma Steel's newest steam iron smelting workshop, he was relieved again. The steel production was so efficient. He was a true king.

……

As he entered the hall, he did not look up, but knelt down and kowtowed first.

Li Yu did not correct his Qing court etiquette. He waited for him to kowtow three times and nine times before he raised his hand slightly:

"Marquis Jinghai, please sit down and have some tea."

A female official in a light-colored long dress put down her teacup and walked away slowly, leaving behind a hint of perfume.

The Queen has set a new rule that concubines, female officials, and imperial dancers are allowed to use perfume, but ordinary palace maids are not allowed to do so. This is mainly to prevent palace maids from the common people from seducing His Majesty.

In order to maintain the mystery of the royal family, the queen promulgated a new rule for the management of palace maids.

After the five-year service period was completed, the royal family paid a dowry and betrothed these women to the soldiers of the Guards Corps as wives.

In this way, the royal mystery can be ensured to the greatest extent.

……

It was very quiet inside the hall.

Li Yu put down his pen only after he finished processing the documents at hand.

asked:

"I want to send a fleet to capture Lushun. What do you think, Marquis Jinghai?"

Shi Lingyang's mind was working rapidly.

Then he asked:

"May I ask your Majesty, what is the size of the enemy in Lushun?"

"Take it and see for yourself."

Shi Lingyang took a document from the Imperial Guard soldier with both hands, which contained intelligence about Lushun.

After reading only one page, he realized that there were important officials in the north who were in contact with Wu.

Not surprised.

There are many flexible people these days.

……

After thinking for a moment, Shi Lingyang spoke carefully:

"I have examined the map and have confirmed that the entrance to the Lushun naval port is narrow, but the berths inside are spacious. If there are complete artillery batteries, it will be difficult for the navy to break through from the front."

"I think we should organize a small but powerful fleet with the best infantry. We should land the infantry first, attack the rear of Port Arthur and take down the artillery batteries."

"After that, our warships can march straight in."

Li Yu nodded. Shi Lingyang had a good vision. Hundreds of years later, someone had indeed practiced this method of warfare and succeeded.

Asked rhetorically:
"Why can the warships only take action after the army succeeds?"

"Your Majesty, if there is no generation gap in the artillery between the artillery and the warship, the artillery will win. Our army has come a long way, so we must play it safe and not take risks. Otherwise, if we fail, the fleet will not be able to find a landing point, and we will be caught in a dilemma."

“What other risks are there?”

"Route! The fleet cannot sail along the coastline. There is a risk of getting lost."

……

Li Yu smiled and ordered:

"Inform the Imperial Guard to prepare the car. I want to inspect the Naval Academy with Lord Shi."

Half an hour later, everyone boarded the boat from the dock near the Wu Palace. Four speedboats slowly sailed towards Taihu Lake, followed by a cavalry squad on the shore.

Shi Lingyang took the opportunity to observe Wu Jun's shipbuilding capabilities at the end.

The boat they were riding on was a flat-bottomed single-masted clipper with a sturdy hull that could accommodate additional oarsmen if necessary. The sides were covered with copper plates to protect against shotgun shells.

The 2-pound gun on the bow has a particularly flexible gun mount, allowing it to bombard without blind spots.

The so-called layman looks at the excitement and the insider looks at the doorway.

He only took a look and had a general understanding of Wu Ting's cannon casting technology. The Navy Department obviously mastered iron mold casting, lathe boring, gray cast iron, and mass production of solid bullets with extremely small clearance~
No wonder the Qing Dynasty was no match.

There is already a generation gap in cannon-casting technology between the two sides.

……

The Dongshan Naval Officer School was extremely busy.

The officer on duty blew the whistle and roared:

"Your Majesty will be here soon. Quick, quick, quick."

"Assemble."

The young drummer followed the officer closely, beating the drum quickly, and the beats were like a violent storm.

The huge crowd of students had no idea what was going on, so they dropped their bowls and rushed out of the cafeteria towards the warship.

The military discipline in school is strict, and you will be beaten if you are slow.

Some unlucky guy slipped while rushing towards the diving board and fell into the lake, causing a huge splash.

The officer on duty raised the telescope and saw a ship approaching on the lake in the distance with an emblem on the bow.

Carp emerging from water, jasmine flowers, and especially the slightly scary fish head (the map of the Yangtze River Delta is turned upside down) ~ yes, it is the royal emblem.

……

Li Yu, wearing a navy blue woolen navy uniform and a navy black and white wide-brimmed hat, boarded the training ship for inspection.

Shi Lingyang took two steps back and looked at the little fat men standing in neat rows on the deck with guns in hand, feeling very suspicious.

Judging from the skin color, body shape, teeth, palms and expressions of these guys, they are definitely not from coastal fishermen, but a group of young masters.

"Marquis Jinghai, how do your ships determine their position when they go out to sea?"

"Your Majesty, the compass, the stars, the sun's position, the sea chart, the island, and experience."

"Is it accurate?"

"It depends on your luck!"

Li Yu looked at the officer on duty:
"Have you mastered the subject of ship positioning?"

"Reporting to your majesty, the cadet class has been fully mastered."

“Live demonstration.”

"As ordered."

……

Sextant, marine clock, world nautical chart - these were the high-tech navigation technologies of the 18th century. The Wu navy advanced by standing on the shoulders of their Saxon counterparts.

The students held up their sextants and measured the latitude based on the angle of incidence of the sun.

Check the marine clock, calculate the time difference, and determine the longitude.

"Has Marquis Jinghai ever used this thing?"

"I have heard of it a little, but I have never used it."

The second order was issued.
"Artillery training, target, Yushan Island beach."

The little drummer started beating again, and the chaotic students split into two groups.

One shift weighed the anchor and hoisted the sails, while another shift went into the hold and loaded the guns.

Li Yu took out a pocket watch and watched the hands move.

Three training fleets competed on the same field, sailing from the port to Yushan Island on the west side.

Yushan Island is very small. There are some simple huts built on the mudflats. There are also traces of artillery shells in the surrounding woods. It is obvious that this is a shooting range.

……

The sound of gunfire~
The hut caught fire and collapsed.

Li Yu stared at the pocket watch in his hand:
“Not skilled enough, and taking too long.”

"Training Ship No. 2 performed the best. All personnel on board will be given a day off. I will give my sword to the acting captain of Ship No. 2."

"Let's go back."

Most of the cadets at the Naval Academy are not short of money, so there is no point in rewarding them with silver.

really,

The trainees on the No. 2 ship cheered collectively after seeing the flag signal. The Dongshan base was a pure countryside with no entertainment and no place to spend the money.

On the day off, everyone rushed to Songjiang Prefecture for entertainment.

For entertainment, you still have to go to Songjiang.

The banks of Suzhou River are full of wealthy people.

……

After landing, we counted the results~
The officer on duty was very embarrassed. Such a simple exercise resulted in 3 non-battlefield casualties.

A man fell into the water and was bedridden with a fever.

One person hit his head in the cabin and had to be bandaged and rest.

A man was standing behind the artillery. When the cannon was fired, the artillery carriage suddenly retreated and crushed his feet, breaking his bones.

His Majesty was very calm and showed no anger. It can only be said that this is in line with reality.

……

Afterwards, Li Yu checked the teaching progress.

To build a navy, a systematic training system is very important.

The teachers at the Naval Academy were of diverse backgrounds, including old fishermen from the coastal areas, active naval officers, merchant ship captains, hired former European officers, and missionaries who were proficient in mathematics and physics.

The self-compiled teaching materials combine Chinese and Western elements, and integrate theory and practice.

Wu Ting attached great importance to education and offered teachers a good salary. Full-time teachers received a monthly salary of 100 silver coins, and part-time teachers were paid 10 silver coins per class.

……

There are more than a dozen schools in Dongshan area.

It covers different fields such as the army, navy, civil service, machinery, accounting, mining, metallurgy, and journalism.

Internal name: Dongshan Higher Education District.

Read more latest popular novels at 6.9*shuba!

Higher education, as the name suggests, is not literacy, but a higher level of education.

Li Yu had to face a regrettable reality: it is currently impossible to provide universal education for all.

We do not have the financial resources or the talent pool.

After much deliberation, he boldly came up with two models.

1. Dongshan Higher Education Park: Provide continuing education for trustworthy groups with a solid foundation and cultivate talents in professional fields.

Second, the three-tier education system: quickly screens out a small number of truly talented young men from farming families, as well as young men from wealthy families who have received a good private school education.

Two key words: loyalty and input-output ratio.

……

Genius, basic foundation, and wealthy family.

Anyone who meets any of the above three points has a high probability of entering the current education system and becoming one of the elite of the empire.

Those who do not meet these three points will be abandoned.

Someone has discovered that
The current education system completely excludes ordinary people over the age of 15, and concentrates limited resources and financial resources on elite education, low-age education, and loyalty training.

For now, the empire's education is just like the industrial system that it has devoted all its efforts to developing, except that beautiful flowers are blooming in a few areas.

……

Fortunately, the nature of this world is to compete for the worst.

It is enough for the empire to be ahead of other kingdoms of the same era.

After colonization and commodity dumping, and rapid completion of primitive accumulation, both industry and education will experience exponential growth.

30 years later~
Ordinary children in the empire can receive basic education and learn to read and write.

By that time, based on the average life expectancy, almost all the people over the age of 15 who are currently excluded by Your Majesty will be lying in their coffins.

Many years from now, they may be called the "Silent Generation."

……

Li Yu inspected Dongshan on horseback.

Shi Lingyang controlled the horse to follow closely, but made sure to lag behind by half a horse length.

Each school in Dongshan has its own uniform.

along the way,
Students dressed in colorful uniforms kept kneeling on one knee on both sides of the road to welcome the emperor.

There are three main sources of students: descendants of officers and soldiers, nephews and nieces of current officials, gentry and businessmen, and people from Jiangnan.

Li Yu waved frequently.

Suddenly, he whispered:

"Shi Hou, what do you think of these students?"

"I see that these students are all loyal to Your Majesty. Especially the students of the Naval Academy, I see that all of them are either rich or noble, which shows Your Majesty's good intentions."

Li Yu laughed out loud.

……

"You're right. Many of the students at the Naval Academy come from wealthy merchant families in the Wu Kingdom. They have lived a life of luxury since childhood, and have never seen the hardships of life."

"But I want them to go to the battlefield."

"Is fighting a war the exclusive domain of the common people? I don't agree with that."

"The reason why nobles can become nobles is that they have made great contributions to the empire in the fields of military merit, science and technology, education, theory, etc. If nobles want to rest with the country and gain respect, every generation must have children fighting for the empire. They can't just enjoy without giving."

"I am doing this for their own good!"

"People, you can't always want to take all the benefits without giving anything in return. This goes against the principles of nature."

……

Shi Lingyang whispered:

"There are also some brave young men in my family who hope to join the navy and serve Your Majesty."

Li Yu stopped his horse and said meaningfully:

"Lord Shi, please select three to five hundred elite soldiers to go with the fleet to attack Lushun."

Shi Lingyang quickly rolled off the horse, knelt on one knee, and clasped his hands together:

"I will obey my orders."

……

Yanzhou Prefecture is located in the southwest of Shandong Province. It borders Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province to the south and the Yimeng Mountain area to the east, so the defense pressure is extremely heavy.

The prefect of Yanzhou was in a state of panic because of the rampant rebellion in the territory.

Just after destroying the Liangshan Gang, a new Sweeper appeared. Just after defeating the Yidoumi Sect, the Red Lotus Sect appeared.

In short, I'm exhausted.

"Dong Weng, Duke Yansheng has sent someone to deliver the invitation again."

"Bring it here."

The prefect took the visiting card unhappily. This was the 13th letter asking for help from Duke Yansheng.

The letter mentioned:

A group of hungry people under the banner of the Dashi Army ravaged Qufu.

This reminds me of the Shanxi Dashun Army, Southwest Shandong Liangshan Army, Henan Qihuo Army, Jiangsu Dahan Army, and Weishan Lake Independent Army mentioned in the court bulletin a few days ago.

The prefect was furious.
So those who rebel are all intellectuals, right?

……

The prefect threw the letter away and said in an indignant tone:

"I can't figure out why the small Qufu is so attractive to rebels? Is it because of the sage's teachings?"

The lawyer almost laughed out loud when he heard this, but his professional ethics did not allow him to laugh out loud.

explained:
"Dong Weng, the Yansheng family is well-known. Although these rebels in Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan and Anhui have never been educated, they must have heard of the Kong family. I'm afraid they are going for food and gold. We still have to support them~"

"Have the Yanzhou general dispatch an elite force to be stationed in Qufu."

"Yes."

No matter how weird the prefect was, he dared not not save Qufu.

Qufu is the Jerusalem of the East and a holy city for scholars all over the world.

If the "Great Western Army" really captured Qufu, burned the Confucius Cemetery, and killed all the members of the Yansheng family, even if the Qing court did not kill them, the scholars would kill them.

Even if he surrendered to Wu, Wu Ting would kill him.

……

The prefect understands justice.

It is very difficult to predict the true situation. Today the wind blows from the east, tomorrow it will blow from the west.

When Duke Yansheng was alive, Wu Ting despised him in every way and wanted to grind his bones into ashes, making his value almost zero.

But when Duke Yansheng died, they might have to write a memorial to mourn him and arrange a royal funeral, which instantly maxed out their value~
Being alive is worthless, but being dead is worth a hundred times more.

This kind of thing is not new.

Far away, let's not talk about it~
Our Emperor Kangxi had solemnly paid tribute to the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum and Shi Kefa. Emperor Shunzhi even brazenly declared that the fight against the Dashun Army was to avenge Emperor Chongzhen.

Some things are dirtier than the toilets in the Eight Great Hutongs.

……

Qufu County.

The city walls were stained with blood and corpses were piled up below the city.

The timid Duke Yansheng, Kong Xianpei, climbed up the city gate tower under the protection of a group of servants to observe the enemy situation.

Yu Minzhong's youngest son, Yu Shihe, is currently the director of the Guangxi Division of the Ministry of Revenue, following behind him silently.

He seized the opportunity and suddenly grabbed Kong Xianpei's sleeve.
He lowered his voice and asked:

"Brother-in-law, what do you think about what I told you a few days ago?"

"What's the matter?"

"Hey, about that thing." Yu Shihe pointed his mouth to the south and squinted his eyes.

Kong Xianpei smiled helplessly, waved her hand and shouted everyone away.

Said in a low voice:

"Why are you in such a hurry? It's only the Northern and Southern Dynasties. We haven't even crossed the Yellow River yet."

(End of this chapter)