There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 103: Oath to the Southern Expedition
Go south!

This was the unanimous opinion of the Han army, both civil and military, present. With Fu Kang'an commanding 100,000 Qing troops stationed in western Hunan, the Han army, no matter how capable they were at fighting, had to think carefully first.

But now, Fukangan has died of illness, and the 100,000 Qing troops are leaderless. Even if they had a leader, they would be impossible to suppress.

This is a coalition army of seven provinces. Without particularly impressive military achievements and background, it would be impossible for the Qing army in seven provinces to obey orders. The language and regional discrimination alone is enough to make the commanding officers suffer.

This is also the reason why He Lin did not rush to seize military power, because he knew his own weight. Without Fu Kang'an's pressure and without Qianlong's imperial edict, it would be difficult for him to control the 100,000-strong army.

If you can't control it, then just don't control it, just stay where you are, keep your troops in place, and wait for the court's order.

If the Yangtze River had not been cut off by the Han army, then although it was far from Xiangxi to Beijing, the imperial edict could have been issued in two or three months at a fast pace. But now the Yangtze River has been cut off in both directions by the Han army and the Qing army, and it would take nearly half a year just to go back and forth.

Fu Kang'an died in April, which was less than a month away from May. This means that the Han army still had at least half a year of peace!

Half a year!
The 100,000 Qing troops in western Hunan could hardly move.

As long as the Han army does not attack Xiangxi, and there is no need to attack Xiangxi, the Han army can mobilize troops in other prefectures in Hunan to cut off the logistical supplies of the Qing army in Xiangxi. Without logistical support, the Miao people in Xiangxi can help them solve the worries of the Qing army.

After listening to Feng Xiuyong's series of strategic analyses based on the current situation, even officials who didn't know much about military affairs saw opportunities.

Rare opportunity!
Fu Kang'an died at the wrong time. It was just when the Han army was strong in men and horses, the new army was trained, and firearms were manufactured in large quantities. It was also just when the Han army's military expenditure and financial pressure were about to explode.

If the troops are not mobilized, the military expenses of these 40,000 troops, as well as the large number of grassroots officials and the improvement of the internal system, the financial expenditure will be enough to blow up the Han army's base!

Could it be that the Han army really has the mandate of heaven, and the general is really the true dragon emperor?
Yes, if he is not the true dragon emperor, where did the imperial seal come from?

If he was not the true dragon emperor, how could he have raised an army and expanded it in a short period of time, quickly occupied three states, had an army of 40,000, and defeated the governor and general of the pseudo-Qing Dynasty?

There were many opportunists among these Han army's civil servants. They really supported the Han army, but in their hearts they only regarded the Han army as an insurgent army with a great chance of success.

But now, some people's minds have inexplicably changed. They really believe that the Han army is rebelling according to the will of heaven. Otherwise, why did Fukangan die at such a timely moment? Isn't this even God helping them?
The heavens are helping them, so why don’t they quickly cling to their thighs and strive to become the hero who follows the dragon!

The superstition of the ancients was sometimes a good thing. In certain periods, it could actually increase the cohesion of the team and integrate internal financial and material resources.

Nie Yu didn't answer immediately. Instead, he smiled and asked, "Do you all think that our Han army should march south?"

"General, please give the order to march south!"

Including the chief officer of the Censorate, all the Han soldiers present stood up and bowed in unison.

"Okay! Let's head south!"

The general nodded, and the strategy of marching south was officially finalized.

Next, the meeting continued to discuss the consumption of money, food and military supplies for the southward march, the reserves of firearms and ammunition, the mobilization of civilian laborers, ships, mule carts, etc. In short, everything was for the service of the war.

The meeting lasted from morning to afternoon, and even lunch was eaten in the meeting room. The food was quite simple, with only four dishes and one soup, just a homely meal.

The civil officials were quite surprised by this. They had never expected that a great general, who controlled three states and commanded tens of thousands of soldiers. Although he was not a king, he was still a powerful lord in his area, and he could eat so simply and modestly on weekdays.

Well, Nie Yu maintained the eating habits of later generations, eating four dishes and one soup, and two of them were vegetarian dishes. In the eyes of his civil servants, it was already quite simple and low-key.

After all, the emperors of our Qing Dynasty would often have dozens or even hundreds of dishes in one meal. This was not the exclusive domain of the old witch Cixi, but a traditional skill of the Qing royal family.

In more professional terms, this is called "Wansui Fenli", which means that the diet of the Qing Dynasty emperor must include dozens or hundreds of dishes, otherwise it would be a violation of ancestral rules.

Among them, there is Yongzheng, who has the best reputation. He boasts of being diligent and frugal, but he never cuts down on the "Emperor's share" in terms of food. He even adds various things to regular meals. His food expenses alone are more extravagant than that of Qianlong, the "richest woman in the world".

This was actually due to the need for ruling. Eating so many dishes was not just for eating, but for extravagance and waste, creating a political pomp that was first-class among the Han emperors.

(Don't accuse me of being a black, all the systems of the Qing Dynasty, including the number of food dishes, were actually designed to lay a strict class system to suppress the Han gentry and prevent them from rebelling)

After a day of discussion, the southward strategy was finally finalized.

The official time for the troops to be dispatched was set at the end of May. This was because they had to wait for the tax grain to be stored in the warehouse, recruit civilians, ships and mule carts, and recall the troops that had been dispersed to fight bandits.

It took a lot of time just to recall the army. After the recall, they had to be re-equipped and taken to the military camp for concentrated training for a period of time.

The main training was to train the new army to coordinate with the artillery battalion, grenade battalion, crossbow battalion, and the newly established fire gun battalion. Not to say that the armies were as a whole, but at least they had to develop combat effectiveness similar to the Qing army's nine-in-ten chain formation.

The Qing army's formation was a bit dull, but its enduring power proved its combat effectiveness.

It was all thanks to the sharpness of the firearms. As long as the Han army's firearms were sharper than those of the Qing army, the Qing army would be beaten badly under the same formation.

"This is the army of our Han Dynasty. It is indeed magnificent!"

Liu Jun, the head of the Civil Affairs Office, was standing on the observation tower outside the parade ground, watching the army training and practicing martial arts below.

This guy is serious and responsible in his work, and dares to speak and act. He happened to catch up with the trend of internal political system adjustment, and was recommended by Feng Xiuyong. He was naturally promoted to be the head of the Civil Affairs Office.

Although there is an evaluation period and those who fail the evaluation will be dismissed, they are still among the officials in Yuezhou who are promoted the fastest.

Luck plays a part, but ability is also indispensable.

Deputy Director Xie Zhiyuan beside him also nodded and complimented: "Director Liu is right! Our great Han army is strong and powerful, and we have so many powerful cannons and muskets. This time we march south, we will surely be victorious, completely wipe out the pseudo-Qing army in Hunan, and recover the entire province of Hunan!"

It was a compliment, but it was not entirely a compliment, because he really believed that the Han army could defeat the Qing army and take over Hunan Province.

Liu Jun had never seen much of the Qing army, and only when he saw the strength of the Han army did he exclaim in amazement.

But Xie Zhiyuan was different. The Xie family he came from was not too big or too small in Yuezhou Prefecture. He had the good fortune to see officers and soldiers from his own province and other provinces a few times. It cannot be said that they were horrible to see, but it can only be said that they were just a bunch of show-offs.

He couldn't say what the Manchu soldiers were like, but as for the Qing Dynasty's Green Camp, in his opinion, there was no way they could defeat the Han army.

Whether it is armaments, firearms, or military combat power, the two are not products of the same level.

"Deputy Commander Xie is absolutely right. With such a strong army and elite soldiers, our Han army has more than 40,000 soldiers. With these 40,000 strong soldiers at hand, there is no need to worry about the instability in Huguang." Liu Jun said with a smile.

Xie Zhiyuan nodded at first, then shook his head regretfully, saying, "It's a pity that Liu Zhizhang and I, both of us work in the Civil Affairs Office, but we can't go on expeditions with the army like the Secretariat can. We won't be able to witness the grand spectacle of our great Han army sweeping across southern Hunan and recovering Huguang."

Liu Jun said, "It's a pity, but we must do our part. We must not let the general go out to war and then Yuezhou will be in chaos. We must keep a close eye on the gentry and nobles and instruct all government offices to make preparations."

"I'll do it when I get back." Xie Zhiyuan naturally understood.

The army is still training on the parade ground, with new troops entering the camp every day. General Nie Yu has also moved into the camp. Every day he calls the generals and secretaries to his tent to hold meetings looking at the map to discuss how to move south.

The Han army's finances were limited, so it couldn't be said to be tight, but when a war really broke out, the sound of cannons and millions of taels of gold would be needed immediately, and there could be no room for carelessness.

Just the military expenses of this southern expedition were specifically calculated by the officials of the Ministry of Revenue, and it was enough to bring the finances of the three states to a standstill.

Without any substantial results, the Han army's foundation would collapse. It's not that they lacked the money to maintain internal operations, but that they lacked the money to continue to wage large-scale wars. If they launched large-scale wars, it would affect domestic affairs and people's livelihoods, and would bring down the foundation that the Han army had worked so hard to build.

A few days later, all the troops outside were recalled, totaling more than 22000 soldiers (10000 soldiers from Lizhou and 8000 soldiers from Jingzhou).

For the next half month, all regular soldiers and Nie Yu's personal guard battalion trained together.

The various offices of Yuezhou Prefecture were also recruiting civilians for labor and vessels. The common people, having received land from the Han army, were already willing to fight for them. Furthermore, the Han military offices provided the civilians with wages and rations, and they didn't have to fight on the front lines; they only needed to do manual labor like escorting supplies.

The recruitment of civilian laborers went extremely smoothly, and a large amount of military supplies were transported out.

Time soon came to the end of May and the troops set out on their expedition.

　No more blind dates

　　
　
(End of this chapter)