Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 201: Go on an expedition! Go on an expedition!
Upon hearing this, Yang Fuqing's facial expression immediately straightened and he began to speak.

"Okay! That's great!"

"It has been almost two months since the army arrived in Guangzhou. During this period, we have been eating and training, and training and eating. The brothers have been eager to go to the battlefield to kill the Qing monsters."

"Now, the order to go to war has finally come down!"

"What a joy!"

After saying this, Yang Fuqing immediately gave orders to his personal soldiers.

"Yang Shun, go and tell the regiment commander to take his men to the military warehouse to collect military supplies..."

"In addition, send a message to the generals of our army to come here to discuss matters and discuss the expedition."

……

"Brother, I heard that the army is about to go out to fight. Is it true?"

Zhao Cheng, who had just recently joined the army and was still a senior soldier, found his cousin and tried to test him.

Zhao He, who had just been promoted to battalion commander after being transferred to the 9th Division, put down what he was holding, glanced at Zhao Cheng, and said very seriously.

"Who told you to call me brother? This is the military, there are only superiors and subordinates, no blood relatives, so when you meet me, you should address me by my rank."

When Zhao Cheng heard this, his expression became serious and he opened his mouth to ask.

"I'm sorry, Captain. I made a slip of the tongue. I heard that we are going to go on a expedition. Is that true?"

Zhao He nodded and said.

"It should be true. I also heard from above that it probably happened in the past few days."

"As for which specific direction to deploy troops, I don't know either."

In fact, Zhao He knew about it, but he felt that the direction of the army's deployment was a somewhat confidential matter and it was not easy to tell everyone about it.

So he hid it from Zhao Cheng!
Hearing this, Zhao Cheng nodded vigorously, and then spoke excitedly.

"Great, we're finally going to fight."

"Ever since I joined the army, I have been training, training, and training. I have been training to the point where I can't train any more. Now I can finally go to the battlefield and kill the demons and show off my skills."

"I must kill more Qing monsters this time and make as many contributions as you, the battalion commander. Even if I can't get promoted or make a fortune, I must earn a few more acres of military merit land for my family."

Now most of the soldiers of the Tang army join the army for the military merit fields.

In order to earn a few more acres of military merit land, they really dared to fight for their lives on the battlefield.

Coupled with the Tang army's current advanced weapons and equipment, its combat effectiveness is really good.

Zhao He nodded and said.

"You are right."

"Once you are on the battlefield, work hard. As long as you can make contributions, the imperial court will certainly reward you generously."

After speaking, Zhao He said.

"By the way, we have just been given new uniforms and new shoes. Since you are here, you can take the ones from your class back with you."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Cheng nodded and came down.

He got accurate information from Zhao He and decided not to stay any longer.

After taking Zhao He's warrant and receiving his new military uniform and new shoes, he said goodbye and left, returning to his class's barracks with his things.

When the squad leader saw Zhao Cheng coming back, he went forward to help Zhao Cheng distribute things to everyone, and then asked.

"Ah Cheng, what did the battalion commander say? Has the expedition been finalized? Is it true?"

Zhao Cheng said as he tried on clothes.

"Squad leader, I asked the battalion commander, and he said that they should send troops in a few days, but he doesn't know in which direction they will be sent."

Everyone was excited when they heard this.

"Great, the battle is finally about to begin!"

"Yes, yes, after training for so long, I can finally go to the battlefield and kill the demons. It's really great."

"..."

Even the monitor was somewhat excited.

Suddenly, a soldier who was putting on his shoes showed a surprised expression on his face.

"Hey, what's wrong with the sole of this shoe?"

"They're not leather shoes, nor are they made of 1,000-layer soles, but they're quite comfortable to wear..."

After the soldier finished speaking, the people around him also noticed this.

"Yeah, the material used for the soles of these shoes is really strange."

"It looks like leather, but it doesn't feel like leather."

"..."

Seeing this, the squad leader on the side spoke up.

"How about it? You haven't seen it before."

"Let me tell you, this thing is called rubber shoes. I heard it's a new thing made by the arsenal."

"They are more comfortable to wear than cloth shoes, and they are much more durable and wear-resistant. They won't break even when climbing mountains, climbing trees or swimming in rivers."

"Now that we are in the army, the imperial court has given them to us for free. If they were sold outside, this pair of shoes would fetch two silver coins."

In fact, these so-called rubber shoes are the later liberation shoes, with canvas uppers and raw rubber soles.

This is a new thing that Li Yi ordered the military uniform and bedding factory under the arsenal to produce.

The cost of this stuff is not high, it is convenient for industrial mass production, and because of the characteristics of rubber, it is also durable and wear-resistant, making it the perfect marching and training shoe for the army. When the army was about to go to war, Li Yi instructed the arsenal to replace the soldiers with new shoes.

In this era where marching depends almost entirely on one's feet, a pair of good shoes can at least increase the combat effectiveness of the troops by several percent.

Hearing this, everyone nodded in understanding.

Many people put down their half-worn clothes, put on new shoes, and started jumping on the ground to experience the feel of the new shoes.

"Hey, you know what, these shoes are really nice."

"Yes, they are quite comfortable to wear. Although not as good as cloth shoes, straw shoes are much more comfortable."

For modern people, wearing rubber shoes causes pain in the feet.

That's because modern people have been spoiled by all kinds of comfortable running shoes and sports shoes. If they suddenly leave the soft soles and wear hard-soled rubber shoes, they will definitely feel uncomfortable.

But for people in this era who are used to walking barefoot, or at most wearing straw sandals, and whose feet have long been calloused, rubber shoes are actually quite comfortable.

……

Three days later, the various units of the Tang Dynasty's Second Army, under the command of Wang An and Luo Dagang, advanced westward along the Xihe River and headed towards Guangxi.

The Tang army soldiers, dressed in neat military uniforms, wearing helmets, leggings and brand new rubber shoes, formed a neat array and marched along the official road.

Wow! Wow! Wow!

Accompanied by the calls of "one, two, one", the Tang army soldiers raised their legs and took steps in unison, then swung their arms forward.

Thousands of people are the same, and the scene is quite spectacular.

Zhao Cheng walked in the team with a musket on his back, looking forward with his head held high, and confidently embarked on the journey of his dreams.

Zhao He rode past the army formation on horseback, looking around with a sharp gaze, checking whether the soldiers' formation was neat while marching.

Yang Fuqing rode for a while and looked back at Guangzhou City in the distance. He knew that Li Yi should still be on the top of Guangzhou City, watching the Tang army march away.

He secretly swore in his heart that this time when he went to Guangxi to fight, he must achieve a result worthy of Li Yi's appreciation of him.

We can’t let Li Yi down!
Li Yi withdrew his gaze from the Tang army formation marching westward from outside the city, and began to think.

According to the intelligence he now knows, the British-organized coalition forces will arrive in the Far East in a year at most.

In other words, the Tang Dynasty must complete the Guangxi and Jiangxi strategies as soon as possible within a year, and then gather its main forces to prepare to fight against the invading coalition forces...

Now Li Yi is actually quite fortunate that he had listened to the advice of Zuo Zongtang and others and did not insist on using military force against Fujian.

Otherwise, when the coalition forces of the great powers invaded a year later, the Tang army might have to travel back and forth between Guangdong and Fujian to deal with the invasion of the great powers' fleets.

There is actually a reason why Li Yi thinks this way.

Although the coalition forces of the great powers seemed to be coming with great momentum, Li Yi knew that they had to do so before the Tang Dynasty revealed a fatal flaw.

At most they can just stay along the coast and it is impossible for them to go deep into the inland.

It can't threaten the foundation of the Tang Dynasty!
This was actually the case with the First Opium War, the Second Opium War, and even the subsequent invasion of China by the Eight-Nation Alliance.

In the early stages of the war, the armies of the great powers were actually lingering at the doorstep of the Qing Dynasty, trying to test the Qing court's strength.

If the Qing army had not performed so poorly in the battle, the armies of the great powers might not have dared to land at Dagukou and drive straight to the capital.

In other words, in the early stages of the war, the Tang Dynasty only had to deal with threats along the coast.

Now the Tang Dynasty has only one coastal province, Guangdong, which means that the Tang Dynasty can concentrate its military forces on the coast of Guangdong to deal with the invasion of the coalition forces of the great powers.

To be more precise, it means concentrating the troops at the mouth of the Pearl River Delta to deal with the invasion of foreign powers.

This is because if the coalition forces want the Tang Dynasty to surrender, they must capture enough cities.

Now, there is only one coastal province in the Tang Dynasty, Guangdong, and one important coastal city, Guangzhou.

If they don’t come to the Pearl River Delta, where else can they go?
But if the Tang Dynasty retakes Fujian now, it will have many more loopholes in the future. Fuzhou, Xiamen, and Quanzhou are all relatively important coastal cities.

Once the coalition forces of the great powers threatened these places, the Tang army would inevitably have to rush for reinforcements.

Li Yi couldn't help but sigh, as expected, listen to advice and have a full meal.

My ancestors will not deceive me!
……

At the same time, the Tang Dynasty's strategy to attack Jiangxi also began.

However, in this Jiangxi war, the Tang Dynasty mainly mobilized soldiers from Hunan, namely the newly formed Sixth and Eighth Divisions.

In addition, the 2nd Infantry Division, a veteran main force used to support the enemy, had already been in Hunan.

Therefore, Zhao Xiang and Bai Yuanqin did not need to send troops on a large scale.

As long as a part of the logistical supplies are mobilized, they can quickly rush to the front line.

In early February of the second year of the Tang Dynasty's Zhaowu reign, Zhao Xiang and Bai Yuanqin arrived in Changsha.

The commander-in-chief led the newly formed Sixth Division and the Eighth Division and marched towards Yuezhou.

The Second Division, which served as the main force in this battle, had already marched to Yuezhou before the New Year and began preparing for battle.

By mid-February, Zhao Xiang and Bai Yuanqin arrived at the Yuezhou front with the 6th and 8th Divisions.

The news that the Tang army had gathered its main forces in Yuezhou and was preparing for an eastern expedition could no longer be concealed.

At the same time, on the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom side, Hong Xiuquan also sent Lin Fengxiang, one of the double-flowered red sticks in his hand, to lead his troops to Taiping Prefecture in Anhui, preparing to launch a western expedition.

The entire south of the Yangtze River felt an atmosphere of impending storm.

The war is about to begin!

……

PS: This is the third chapter I owe you. There are still seven chapters to go. I will try my best to finish them as soon as possible.

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(End of this chapter)