Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 202 Preparing for war
Under the deployment of the Dingwu court, after more than half a year of construction, most of the newly built weapons workshops and civilian workshops along the Yangtze River, especially along the Grand Canal, Ganjiang River, Xiangjiang River and other core areas with convenient transportation and dense population, have been basically completed.

Ministers such as Li Banghua and Gao Hongtu made every effort to coordinate, and the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works worked together. Tens of thousands of craftsmen are now working in these large and small workshops, loading and unloading various equipment needed for future production. The factories are full of bustling atmosphere.

Of course, the geographical locations of these workshops vary depending on their nature.

The workshops outside the major cities are all specialized in producing civilian supplies, while the military weapons workshops are almost all concentrated in new cities that are close to mountains and rivers, or in prefectural cities that are easy to defend and difficult to attack. New weapons workshops have now been built in Changsha City, Jingzhou City, Jiujiang City, and Nanjing City.

The workshops in these places, even the walls surrounding the factories, are much higher than those of civilian workshops, not to mention that each weapons bureau is stationed with a special garrison, ranging from a bureau to a department, and even includes cavalry.

In other words, under the rule of the Dingwu court, Changsha and Yuezhou along the Xiangjiang River, Hanyang along the Hanjiang River, Nanchang along the Ganjiang River, Suzhou, Songjiang, Nanjing along the Grand Canal, as well as Guangzhou and Fuzhou along the coast, are all full of workshops.

Since Zhu Cilang ascended the throne, he has built workshops in various places in Jiangnan, recruited craftsmen, and reserved talents. After three years of development, the workshops have flourished today.

Among them, the "Hanyang Weapons Bureau", "Yuezhou Weapons Bureau" and "Jiujiang Weapons Bureau" were jointly built with the assistance of the "Changbing Weapons Bureau" and "Yingtian Weapons Bureau". These three new weapons bureaus were specifically responsible for the supply of military supplies in Huguang and Sichuan.

Zhu Cilang's previous plan to build the "Nanchang Arsenal" was to have the "Yingtian Arsenal" independently support it. After He Tengjiao's governance, especially with the central government's intervention and command, Jiangxi's grassroots governance system has been very complete. However, due to the long-term reinforcement of the Huguang battlefield and He Tengjiao's policy errors, the workshop system originally planned by Zhu Cilang was not completed.

Now, with the changes in the situation, especially the unexpected progress in the Huguang battlefield, Wuchang was recovered and the Qing army's original threat to Jiujiang was completely eliminated. Relying on its superior geographical location, it has become the first choice for weapons workshops.

After all, Wuchang City had gone through a long period of war, especially after being devastated by the Qing army, and the manpower and material resources at that time were insufficient to support such a huge project.

As for the "Guangzhou Arsenal" which is far away in Guangdong and different from the Huguang land route, it is mainly responsible for the supply of military supplies for the entire southeastern coastal navy and the garrison in Jiangnan. The navy in Fujian, Zhejiang, Guangdong and other places are now expanding rapidly, and all kinds of military supplies are in short supply. The military supply in Fujian and Zhejiang and other places is seriously insufficient, and many times they have to purchase ammunition and firearms from the "Guangzhou Arsenal".

Of course, at this time, Zheng Zhilong had actually been expanding his team of craftsmen, supervising the construction of new weapons workshops, and actively importing military supplies, raw materials, and even weapons from the barbarians in Southeast Asia and Japan.

After all, he was born a pirate and had always distrusted the imperial court. He had long been mentally prepared for a falling out between the two sides.

Moreover, for Zheng Zhilong, he didn't think that anyone could defeat him at sea, especially since half of the current Ming Dynasty navy were from Fujian and led by his son, which made him even more fearless.

However, he did not expect that his son, who had not experienced his rough times, had enjoyed all the benefits of being a second-generation child, and completely disagreed with his approach.

Zhu Cilang did not pay too much attention to this. In front of the Ming Dynasty's state machine, Zheng Zhilong was not a fatal threat.

In comparison, he cared more about the production of artillery and muskets in Guangdong and Fujian provinces, which were crucial for the Northern Expedition, especially those heavy firearms and small artillery, which could inflict unexpected casualties on the Qing army in mobile warfare.

You should know that Fujian was originally a firearms manufacturing base that was as famous as Guangdong in the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty. The artillery produced there was even superior to the same type of artillery in the West at a certain period of time. Now Zheng Zhilong indirectly controls a large area of ​​land along the coast of Fujian, affecting a population of hundreds of thousands and countless workshop craftsmen. Naturally, he has to make use of these resources.

However, Zheng Zhilong was just Zheng Zhilong after all. He was limited to this era, and the production efficiency of the weapons workshop under his rule was far inferior to that of the "Guangzhou Arsenal".

After all, the Zheng family did not innovate their management methods, nor did they have various leading production tools. After the court's previous mobilization of craftsmen and a round of conscription, the labor force in Fujian was also very scarce. Both the construction speed of workshops and the production of weapons were much slower than that of the court.

Zhu Cilang was not without a way to deal with him, nor did he have to rely solely on Zheng Sen. He could even directly detain and place him under house arrest and split up the Zheng family, just like the Qing Dynasty did in history.

But there is no need for him to destroy his political reputation for the sake of temporary benefits.

After all, Zheng Sen had already realized this, so he would naturally handle the matter properly. Otherwise, how could he be so loyal?

In the main hall of the Forbidden City in Nanjing, standing in front of Zhu Cilang were Li Banghua, Gao Hongtu, Chang Denggui, Tian Jianxiu, Lin Changfeng, Zhang Huangyan, Zheng Hongkui and others. They were reporting to Zhu Cilang on the latest work results of various departments and offices.

"Your Majesty, the workshops in Nanjing, Suzhou, and other places, the villages and forts in the Jianghuai region, and the trading companies and supply and marketing stations near the military camps have all achieved initial results after a rigorous investigation and rectification. In the workshops in Nanjing and Suzhou alone, more than 60 people have been arrested, and the total value of stolen money seized from their homes is nearly 200,000 taels of silver. The amount of money seized in the villages and forts and trading companies and supply and marketing stations is even more shocking.

Next, in order to curb the increasingly serious corruption problem, strict investigations and rectifications of money houses and maritime trade will be carried out. The Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of War will act simultaneously to readjust the powers of workshop foremen, village chiefs, and on-duty managers of trading companies' supply and marketing stations.

However, now that war is imminent, the Northern Expedition is imminent, and the Qing army is eyeing us covetously, the progress of the war should be given top priority. According to Your Majesty's instructions, for the sake of efficiency in wartime mobilization, many key positions will simply increase supervision and punishment to crack down on typical repeat offenders."

Li Banghua reported word for word that things had just begun, but he already felt tremendous pressure, especially under such supervision, corruption was still widespread, which also made him deeply disappointed with the Ming Dynasty bureaucracy.

You know, Li Banghua is actually an idealist. Although he has been in officialdom for many years, he knows that those guys are all "beasts in human clothing." However, under the influence of Zhu Cilang and some civil and military officials, his old habits inevitably resurfaced.

However, Zhu Cilang was not so merciful. In order to punish corruption and increase the cost of breaking the law, he directly restored many criminal laws of the Hongwu period, among which collective punishment was commonplace.

If any local official in the court was corrupt, he would be thrown into prison if his family had no officials in the court. After being convicted, based on the extent of the corruption and the severity of the crime, he would be assigned to a nearby workshop to work and repay his debts, or be exiled to Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangdong and Guangxi to mine and mine salt.

Zhu Cilang has made tremendous efforts in providing high salaries and maintaining integrity, and he has done his utmost. Naturally, he will not be lenient towards these people.

You have to know that there was no such thing as high salaries to maintain integrity during the Hongwu Dynasty. There were huge loopholes in the policies, and many so-called "corruptions" were even unavoidable.

"Well, it's going well. We must continue to rectify all aspects of the situation and not let up. Civil affairs, workshops, and industry and commerce are now the foundation of the imperial court. Without their continued output, there would be no victories in the past few years, let alone the hundreds of thousands of strong armies that the Ming Dynasty currently has."

Zhu Cilang nodded, then turned to look at Gao Hongtu:
"Yanwen, how is the village construction in Jiangxi and Huguang progressing?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Hongtu immediately stepped out, cupped his hands, and reported:
"Your Majesty, the existing wastelands in the prefectures of Huguang have been surveyed. Most of the refugees caused by the war have been temporarily resettled in villages and forts. Some are currently working on road and bridge construction in various places. After completing their construction tasks, they will be resettled in nearby villages and forts.

Currently, the construction of the village fort is proceeding smoothly. The only problem is that in some of the provincial capitals of these two provinces, especially Jiangxi, many gentry, with the connivance of certain officials, are using old land deeds to dispute the land, claiming that it is inherited from their ancestors. This part is still difficult to resolve.

In order to appease the gentry in various places and avoid stirring up local unrest, Zhu Cilang had previously ordered the two provinces of Huguang and Jiangxi to properly handle land issues, get along with the gentry as much as possible, and set an example for uniting the gentry families in various places.

But what he meant was just superficial talk. At least as the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he had to say such words. But who would have thought that He Tengjiao would actually do so? This made the local officials sent to Jiangxi very hesitant to do anything.

However, Huguang and Jiangxi, especially Jiangxi, had not experienced such a great chaos as Huguang. The original local clan power was very strong. Seeing that these foreign officials were so easy to talk to and the governor paid some of the arrears, they were lenient with everything, and then they all became tough.

As a result, many prefectures in Jiangxi were abandoned due to the previous peasant uprisings. In Zhu Cilang's plan, they were to be designated as unowned land for villages and forts. After the water conservancy facilities were reorganized, a considerable part of them were occupied by local gentry and their clansmen in a ruthless manner.

Faced with this situation, He Tengjiao was vague and evasive, leaving local officials completely helpless. Before Zhu Cilang, these gentry would resort to any means necessary to seize land, and this rogue method was considered the least of their crimes.

"Yanwen, how should we deal with this matter? Tell me your plan." Zhu Cilang gave the order after thinking for a moment. His expression remained the same as before, and his attitude towards the matter could not be seen at all.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Gao Hongtu clasped his hands together, bowed slightly, and raised his head.
"I believe that to deal with those gentry fighting for land, especially those who have gathered hundreds or even thousands of people from entire villages, the court must use some drastic measures to control the situation." He had already sensed Zhu Cilang's dissatisfaction and knew that he had to take action, otherwise his position in the court would be affected. But Gao Hongtu was Gao Hongtu after all. He paused and continued:
"If we don't handle this properly, these gentry rebels will cause trouble in the region. I'm afraid Jiangxi will be in chaos, and the situation will be difficult to control."

Zhu Cilang nodded, then said sternly, "Go on."

Gao Hongtu's expression became more serious after hearing this. He swallowed nervously and continued:
"Your Majesty, I believe that most of the gentry in these areas are actually good people, but there are always some black sheep. As long as we catch those who are guilty of the most heinous crimes and make an example of them, the problem will be solved."

After hearing this, Zhu Cilang couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. Although people like Gao Hongtu were honest and trustworthy, and had some abilities, they were still a little immature.

Just as he was about to say something, Tian Jianxiu suddenly stepped out, clasped his hands together and said:
"Your Majesty, I have heard that there are many bandits in Jiangxi and Hubei, especially those who rebelled in the past. The local government has not been able to suppress them effectively, and they are still roaming around, wreaking havoc in the area and slaughtering the people.

"I believe that the local gentry causing trouble is most likely due to the lies of these people. Otherwise, how could these people, who are all from scholarly families, be so violently seizing land and resisting the imperial court?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang raised his eyebrows. The meaning of this sentence was so wonderful. He was worthy of being a rebel.

But Tian Jianxiu did not stop, and continued:
"Your Majesty, for the sake of the people's peace and prosperity, I propose sending troops into these areas to eliminate the bandits and apprehend the ringleaders, thus restoring order to Jiangxi. While these are undoubtedly extraordinary times, we can also, based on the specific circumstances of each region, arrest the most egregious clan leaders and village heads, punishing them severely to serve as a warning and restore peace to the people."

The civil and military officials in the hall immediately understood what Tian Jianxiu meant. However, they had not expected Tian Jianxiu to be so ruthless, and he would speak so directly in front of His Majesty. However, this was indeed a legitimate act, a warning to others, and the gentry in Jiangxi would probably not dare to act so recklessly.

You have to know that Zhu Cilang currently has an army of over 100,000 under his command, and Jiangxi and Huguang have been taken over and controlled by officials of all levels sent by the court. These gentry can't cause any trouble at all, but they can't do big things, but small things keep popping up, especially when the Ming Dynasty is now completely dependent on the gentry to govern the countryside.

Zhu Cilang was the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and the civil and military officials in the palace were all influential figures. How could he suffer such a loss?

"Well, what Mr. Tian said is absolutely right." Zhu Cilang smiled and nodded, then slowly said:

"The chaos in Jiangxi really needs to be rectified, but governing the country requires winning people over with virtue and acting with benevolence. We must carefully distinguish between virtuous and inferior gentry, and absolutely must not execute them indiscriminately.

In addition, after the army has dealt with the rioters causing trouble in the area, if they accidentally disperse the rioters, they should be allowed to join the villages and forts and treated equally. If they are now bewitched, it is probably because the court has broken its promise before."

After Zhu Cilang finished giving instructions on civil affairs, the focus of this small-scale court meeting returned to military preparations, the most important of which was preparations for war.

As the chief minister of the cabinet, Li Banghua coordinated all matters, big and small. He then bowed to Zhu Cilang and reported:
"After review by the Five Military Governors' Office, the Ministry of War, after soliciting opinions from the Ministry of Transfers, the Ministry of Works and other parties, finally finalized the draft of the army's preparations for the Northern Expedition.

First of all, the army was expanded. The Cavalry Army was added to the central army in front of the palace, and two fully-staffed cavalry battalions and a frame battalion were added. The war horses were allocated from the spoils of the Wuchang battle and the war horses purchased from Liaohai. The Tianqi Army was supplemented to its original full strength, while the left and right armies in front of the palace supplemented the original frame battalions to their full strength, and one battalion was added to each of the left and right armies of the Zhongzheng Battalion.

At the same time, after the training and replenishment of the troops of the Beijing Camp, the Left Town, the Yuezhou Militia Camp, the Right Town of the reorganized Changsha Camp, the Jiangbei Second Town and other units, these 18 camps will march to Xiangyang and the southern Sichuan front to coordinate with the local garrisons to prepare for war.

The Tianwu and left battalions of the central army are now deployed in Wuchang Prefecture. The main force of the left town is still in Jiujiang Prefecture. The Zhongzheng battalion is in Xiangyang and Jingzhou, guarding against the Qing army in Nanyang, Runing and other places. The army of the right town is stationed in Yueyang and resting in Changsha, and can be mobilized at any time. The navy has entered the Han River and controls the key ferry crossings.

After all divisions are fully staffed and deployed, the total field strength of our army deployed in Southern Zhili, Huguang, and Southern Sichuan will reach over 113,000. If we include the local battalion troops and the navy, the total number of amphibious and naval forces in these three regions will exceed 150,000. Even the elite troops will have a numerical advantage over the main force of the Qing army's Eight Banners.

After hearing this, Chang Denggui immediately asked:

"Southern Sichuan has a rugged terrain, and the Qing army still controls Baoning. We shouldn't deploy too many troops there, but we can't deploy too few either. Chen Fu is currently leading his troops in southern Sichuan, and together with the right army of the Loyal Camp, they only have 30,000 men. I'm afraid they won't be strong enough to launch a northern expedition. The remaining Western Army has just been reorganized, so it's hard to say whether they're reliable."

"Admiral Chang is right." Li Banghua nodded and continued:
"But if we continue to send more troops to southern Sichuan, I'm afraid the food and fodder logistics will be difficult to maintain. Furthermore, the terrain in northern Sichuan is restrictive, so quality is more important than quantity. Furthermore, the war horses of both armies were taken from the inner reaches of western Sichuan and are well-suited to maneuvering in the mountains.

At that time, our army will also send troops to Yunyang and Xiangyang to support, mainly in a defensive and diverting manner, forcing the Qing army to divide its troops in Henan and unable to judge the specific actions of our army.

As soon as Li Banghua finished speaking, Gao Hongtu suddenly said:
"Right now, the number of new recruits needed by each of our armies alone will exceed 50,000, and there are also battalion troops and garrison troops from various locations. Furthermore, all troops, regardless of their location, have already begun training. The daily expenditure is enormous. The replenishment of each unit's troops is carefully calculated through the coordination of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War. This has now reached the limit of our dynasty."

After hearing this, Zhu Cilang nodded slightly, looked around, and said slowly:

"The Green Camps in Shaanxi and Gansu are all elite. Wu Sangui, Yue Le and others are formidable. The Qing army is in northern Sichuan. The defense of Hanzhong cannot be underestimated. However, in Nanyang, they cannot rely on natural defenses. As long as I deploy troops in this place, they must focus their forces here."

Seeing this, Lin Changfeng also said:
"Your Majesty is absolutely right. Huguang has a flat terrain and well-developed rivers, making it convenient for transporting troops and food. It should be the best offensive base for the Northern Expedition. Once Dorgon sees my army mobilizing there, he will definitely fall into his trap.

Sichuan has now become a den of evil, and southern Sichuan is in chaos. Supporting such a large army is already the limit. Those Tartars would never have thought that Your Majesty still had 30,000 troops stationed there."

"That's right. If I really want to have a decisive battle with the Qing army, I should indeed send troops from Nanyang or Yanzhou. Not only can the armies support each other, but it also saves the conscription of hundreds of thousands of civilians and the loss of tens of millions of grains." Zhu Cilang agreed after hearing this.

The Five Military Commandery and the Ministry of Revenue deployed their troops in this way in order to save on military costs and reduce manpower losses. Moreover, this was precisely his strategy. While it appeared to be the main offensive direction, it actually only served to contain the Qing army.

But if Chen Fu and Gao Yigong wanted to attack Hanzhong or Xi'an, they would have to cross mountains and ridges, which was very difficult. Moreover, they had to defeat the main force of the Qing army stationed in Shaanxi on the way, otherwise it would be in vain.

At this moment, Zheng Hongkui suddenly said:
"Your Majesty, although Admiral Zheng has gone south to Fujian, Dongting Lake, my friends, and the two naval divisions can still be put to good use. When my army marches north, they can serve as a surprise force and continue north to the Liaohai Sea.

By then, the entire northern Zhili and coastal Shandong Qing army will be under the threat of our navy, and the Qing court will have to divide its forces to guard Beijing and Tianjin. In this way, when our army advances into southern Shaanxi, or even the heartland of the Central Plains, the Qing army will certainly not be able to go all out.

Although the navy under Zhang Mingzhen and Huang Fei was far superior to the Qing navy, they only had a few troops capable of actually going ashore for battle. However, if they could be reinforced by the navy from Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake, their combat power would be further enhanced.

However, the sea distance from Huguang, Jiangxi to Songjiang, Denglai, Tianjin, and Sanchahekou is long after all. The harassment of these four naval forces with thousands of ships would occupy a huge amount of shipping capacity. Zhu Cilang also needed to balance maritime trade and military transportation, and could not concentrate on harassment from the sea.

Zhu Cilang nodded and said, "Zhang Mingzhen and Huang Fei's naval forces will continue their raids northward as usual, but the Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake naval forces will not be deployed during the initial stages of the Northern Expedition. The navy must assist in transporting military supplies for an army of over 100,000, and our transportation capacity is insufficient to support such an operation."

Moreover, such an action would have been more about tying down the Qing army's strength and deterring its actions, and it wasn't worth sending so many naval forces north simultaneously. The logistics of the Northern Expedition were paramount. Given the lessons learned from the previous battles, Dorgon must have stationed troops in Denglai and Tianjin.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. I understand!" Zheng Hongkui responded by bowing and clasping his hands.

As soon as Zheng Hongkui finished speaking, Zhu Cilang changed the subject and said to Li Banghua:

"Tell me about the training of peasant soldiers in the villages and fortresses of Huguang and Jiangbei!"

(End of this chapter)