The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 245 The good governance of the people of Qi
Paul Biliga held a musket and patrolled the ruined town. The pungent smell of gunpowder smoke still lingered in the air. The damaged houses and scattered rubble everywhere proved the fierce battle just now.

The livestock in twos and threes panted and neighed, and were driven to a safe corner by the soldiers. The market area of ​​the town was in a mess, with stalls overturned and vegetables and goods scattered everywhere. Fires broke out in many houses, sending plumes of black smoke into the sky.

There were faint shouts and sporadic gunshots in the distant wilderness, indicating that the battle was not yet completely over. The residents of the town hid in their houses in fear, huddled in corners or cellars, silently crossing themselves and praying to God.

There were many corpses lying on the streets, in front of houses, and in flat dams. There were powerful rebels, innocent town residents who had been kidnapped, and many teenagers. The once extremely vivid lives were turned into cold and ferocious corpses under the ruthless artillery fire and bullets.

On the street ahead, groups of Qi soldiers in navy blue military uniforms were hurriedly passing through. They were holding bayonet-mounted muskets, with serious expressions and alert figures. They kicked open the houses and ordered all the residents inside to Come out and gather, waiting for disposal.

Some of the wounded were carried on simple stretchers, groaning in pain. Blood seeped out from their wounds and soaked the soil on the ground.

The bell tower of the town was partially destroyed by artillery fire, but it still stood stubbornly. The bell sounded particularly clear in the post-war silence. It seemed to remind people of the passage of time. Even in the shadow of war, life is still alive. will continue.

Although the battle has passed, there is still an atmosphere of tension and uneasiness in the town. Everyone is waiting for the next news. Whether it is victory or defeat, it will profoundly affect the future of the town.

"Paul..." his companion Marco Belinelli called him softly.

"Huh?" Paul Biliga turned to look at him.

You know, no country in Europe will allocate such abundant and abundant supplies to soldiers.

Will it bankrupt Qi's finances?

As for the various canned products sold in the European market, why are the prices so high?

In Europe, various cans made in China have always been a rare "luxury product" that only nobles and wealthy businessmen with certain financial resources can afford. Even in the banquets held by many nobles, these delicious cans would be used as cold dishes for distinguished guests to enjoy.

"Canned beef!" Paul Biliga swallowed subconsciously.

By the way, shouldn't all Qi's armies be equipped with such luxurious materials?
That would cost a lot!

But I never expected that in Qi’s army, canned fish, canned beef, and canned fruits were the basic material rations. In addition to all kinds of cans, Qi soldiers also received quotas of coffee, tea, sugar, cigarettes, and various drinks. The rich supplies and good treatment made people stunned when they saw it.

It's unbelievable that ordinary soldiers of Qi State can enjoy such luxurious supplies. They are really... aristocratic!
The people of Qi are so rich and the army is equipped with such abundant supplies, so why fight with the rebels? If you place these things directly in front of the formation, you can probably lure those miserable rebels to surrender.

"Are you hungry?" Marco Belinelli nuzzled toward the street corner and licked his mouth.

Dry and cold bacon, blackened bread, low-quality wine, simple equipment, tattered military uniforms, and normal camping meals must be supplemented with a large amount of wild vegetables.

Because this is the gap in national power, well, to be precise, it is the huge gap between agricultural countries and industrial countries.

Such cans are impossible to produce in a backward agricultural country. Even if they are barely produced, the cost is extremely high, and they cannot be widely supplied to the army.

Paul Biliga followed the eyes of his companions and looked over. There were more than a dozen Qi soldiers gathered there, squatting in a corner leeward, lighting a bonfire, and setting up a military pot. The hot soup inside was bubbling. . A burst of fragrance wafted over, making the volunteers who had been fighting for a long time suddenly feel hungry.

Comparing the two, the armed volunteers who came with the army were very "amazed". The people of Qi seemed to be really rich. They were so "trenched" that it was incomprehensible and unimaginable.

These damn ordinary soldiers are simply "noble soldiers" and "young master soldiers"!
This time, the army set out from Luoning City and advanced all the way north. There were hundreds of troops and vehicles accompanying the army, stretching for several kilometers. However, almost 40% of these supplies were various consumer goods for the soldiers to enjoy, such as beer and mead. , cocoa, coffee, tea, sugar, quilts, medicines, spare shoes and hats, and even toilet paper for wiping buttocks.

In the eyes of the people of Qi, those luxury gadgets, such as various cans, are not difficult to produce under the background of large-scale industrialization.

Paul Villaga and other recruited armed volunteers were secretly amazed when they saw such a huge amount and variety of supplies. It was not clear for a while whether the Qi army was going to fight with so many valuable supplies, or whether it was preparing to play the role of a businessman and make a deal with the rebels.

If you want nutrition, it is impossible, that is, you can barely fill your stomach.

This is the basic daily material supply for the armies of various European countries.

In the mainland of Qi, factories implement large-scale production, assembly line models, standardized organizational methods, and mature tinplate sealed can technology. When the machines roar to life, cans will flow out of the workshop in a steady stream.

However, it's no wonder they have such thoughts.

What's so strange about this? It's such a rare thing. If you don't sell it at a higher price, you won't be able to call it a product of Qi.

Cans are just one of the most representative products. Other military equipment such as uniforms, tools, medicines, weapons and other items are all at a cost so low that you can hardly imagine it. This does not include the logistics costs of loading, unloading, and transporting these things. In this regard, agricultural countries and industrial countries are even more incomparable.

So we will find that many agricultural countries originally did not have too much trouble raising an army of four to five million cold weapons, but when they wanted to build an army of eight hundred thousand new-style weapons, it took a lot of effort. It will bankrupt the fragile finances.

Why?

Gein, in an agricultural country, the cost of every piece of equipment for the new army is high!

Agricultural countries try to use the model of industrial countries to form and train their military. This is definitely a huge challenge to their own national strength.

However, it cannot be done without building a new type of army and equipping it with new weapons of the same era. If you fall behind, you will be beaten. If the military model and armed equipment are too different from others, you will be beaten.

As you can see, with the continuous updating and iteration of European weapons and tactics, the Ottoman Empire, which once always had the upper hand on the battlefield, has long since lost its glory and has been repeatedly defeated by the European coalition forces that have been tested by war.

If the State of Qi hadn't been giving it constant encouragement and blood transfusions, sending many professional military instructors to participate in the transformation and training of the Ottoman Empire's new army, and even directly participating in the planning of some major battles, it might have been defeated all the way under the repeated strong attacks of the European coalition forces. Kicked out of the Balkans. The new army built by an agricultural country with the whole country is actually a "pseudo new army", or a "lame" new army.

Because your social organization model and production model have not undergone fundamental changes, they are still the same as those of the traditional feudal army, which will inevitably affect the new army's maximum effectiveness.

You see, the muskets in the hands of the more than 1,800 rebels stationed in Pazin Town are not bad. Most of them are standard weapons of the Holy Roman Empire. The training is also so-so. They should have received several months of military training. , five or six artillery pieces were deployed in the town, and they were still defending the fortress.

But the whole battle process was shocking. Under the continuous bombardment of more than ten artillery pieces of the Qi army, the rebels immediately lost their desire to fight and were bombed everywhere in the town. As hundreds of armed volunteers and Qi Yin servants "valiantly" launched attacks from several directions under the supervision of Qi soldiers, the rebel defenses were quickly breached.

When more than two hundred Berber cavalry waved their sabers and circled the town in an attempt to completely encircle the rebels, the situation on the entire battlefield immediately reversed. The rebels finally did not hold back and gave up resistance one after another and began to attack from the rear of the town. flight.

The passionate charge horn was blown, the bayonets of Ru Lin continued to surge forward, and the artillery fire began to extend the bombardment to the rear. The entire battle followed the usual pursuit mode.

The rebels' logistics management was too poor, their organizational model was too loose, their officers' tactics and thinking were backward, and their tactics were full of flaws. Under the Qi army's crushing force like sophisticated war instruments, they could only lose one after another, like a lost dog. The ground was driven away and retreated continuously, and their morale was almost non-existent.

Since the army set off from Pula - oh, no, the Qi people have renamed it Luoning -, they have been sweeping forward along the way. They have experienced more than ten battles with the rebels, and basically have not encountered any strong resistance. It could even be said to be an armed march.

Under the supervision of the Qi Army, the Qi Yin servant army that suffered a defeat a few months ago regained a strong desire to fight and became extremely fierce. At the beginning of each battle, under the cover of artillery, they defeated one army after another. Rebel armed forces.

Although the terrain of the Istria Peninsula is mostly plateau and mountainous, there are also dense forests and rocky hills, which greatly limits the performance of the cavalry. However, more than two hundred Berber cavalry still rode tall war horses, carefully controlling the speed of the horses, and dealt the heaviest blow to the rebels when they retreated, killing the enemy in rivers of blood.

Paul Biliga had never experienced any combat before and had only a little hunting experience in the mountains. He had no idea what real war was like.

The artillery kept firing, making deafening roars. The explosive shells splashed out with huge fire, destroying the enemy together with the surrounding buildings. The powerful solid bullets penetrated all obstacles in front of them like a torrent, and the dense shotguns seemed like the weapons of death. The sickle harvests life in patches.

Neat volleys of gunfire were fired continuously, like huge waves one after another, constantly impacting the enemy's formation.

Leng Sen's bayonet mercilessly penetrated the enemy's soft abdomen, and then brought out a shot of soaring blood arrows, followed by a shrill cry of pain.

The bright red and yellow dragon flag kept dancing forward with the surging team, and was finally planted on the tallest building in the town.

Warm cheers, beastly roars, painful groans, as well as countless cries and cowardly pleas for mercy.

The ruins, smoke-filled bodies, corpses of different shapes, trembling captives, terrified residents, and the victors showing off their power formed a chaotic war scene.

Perhaps this is also the case with wars in other European countries and regions.

Paul Biliga sighed, holding an iron lunch box in his hands, which was filled with food. The rich smell of beef kept stimulating his empty stomach.

After all, they were recruited armed volunteers, so the treatment they enjoyed was naturally not comparable to that of Qi soldiers, but the officers leading the troops did not treat them too harshly. Several cans of canned beef and fish were poured into the marching cauldron, mixed with the "collected" vegetables, and stewed into a delicious pot of stew, which made the volunteers still eat with gusto after fighting for a long time.

What puzzled Paul Biliga was that after occupying the town, the Qi officers did not condone the soldiers' looting, and even prohibited the random killing of the town's residents.

By taking prisoners, they only screened and arrested the officials, priests and nobles in the "rebellious" towns, and then confiscated and sealed up the "enemy property". They did not offend ordinary people, and behaved extremely civilized and gentlemanly.

Moreover, the people of Qi also announced to the "liberated" town residents that all expropriated land and "ownerless" land would be re-registered and distributed, and all taxes and fees previously paid by residents would be cancelled. The agricultural tax rate is 15%.

The local residents did not seem to be as happy as they should be about the news. They just gathered around the town square numbly, as if they were frightened by the battle in the morning and have not woken up until now.

Of course, it is also possible that the town residents half-believed the Qi people's words and thought it was out of the need to kill the rebels, so they told them a beautiful lie.

You must know that during this period in Europe, farmers in many countries were subject to triple exploitation by the church, lords and kings, and they had always lived like cattle and horses.

The first is the church tithe. This tax was established in the form of law during the time of Charlemagne. In the 8th century, the principle of tithe had been officially confirmed by secular laws in various European countries: all "those who obtain fruits from the soil" must pay ten percent of the harvest. One-third was paid in kind to the church to support the priests, build churches and provide relief to the poor.

During this period, due to the introduction of new crops and the reclamation of new land, there were many disputes and conflicts between the church and farmers over whether and how much tax should be paid on the newly added fruits of the land. This was also the reason why farmers in various European countries complained about the church's tithe. One of the important reasons.

In addition to church tithes, peasants also had to bear numerous taxes from feudal lords, including annuities, land resale taxes, mediocre taxes and corvees. In addition, peasants who rented land from lords also had to pay heavy land rents.

In addition, peasants were also responsible for the maintenance of feudal lords' castles, fortresses and lords' hunting grounds. The lords had to pay tribute when they married, and they had to pay a considerable land transfer tax to the lords when transferring and selling land.

The last and heaviest burden on the peasants was the taxes from the royal family.

The monarchs of various European countries and the grand dukes of the states have the power to tax income, property and commodity circulation, including poll tax, salt tax, wine tax, etc. Later, with the increasing frequency of wars and the king's arrogance and extravagance, new head taxes and twenty taxes (one-twentieth of the land tax) were gradually added. Three-quarters of these taxes come from agriculture, rural areas and farmers.

In addition, farmers provided winter quarters and military supplies for the army during wartime. For example, starting from the end of Louis XIV, French peasants also had to bear the costs and corvées of building roads and other public works.

Just like the ancient Eastern continent, European countries also generally have the phenomenon of "the rich are exempted from taxes and the poor pay taxes", which makes the increase in taxes inevitably fall on the farmers who are least able to bear it.

Under the oppression of the "three mountains", the life of European farmers is actually no better than that of farmers in Eastern China. There is basically not much surplus throughout the year. If there is a famine or abnormal weather, ordinary farmers are not in a position to go bankrupt. few.

When the residents of the town heard that the people of Qi had announced the abolition of all the messy taxes levied by the church, lords and the royal family, in addition to being shocked, they were more filled with deep suspicion.

Without paying taxes, how can you people in Qi maintain your rule?
Don't be ridiculous, taxes that have lasted for thousands of years on the European continent can be abolished so easily? !
(End of this chapter)