Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 631: Mines
"To the Admiral."

"You are guilty of a crime, so stay here and await the Emperor's judgment."

Xiang Rong, who had remained silent during the previous military council, bowed respectfully.

"Your subordinate obeys."

The Eight Banners and Green Standard Army generals, all smiles, returned to their camps and busied themselves preparing to send out troops.

Walking at the very back, Xiang Rong seemed completely out of place in the lively atmosphere.

'If I lose, then I'm a complete failure.'

'But everyone lost, so it's not that I didn't try hard enough, it's that the enemy was too strong.'

'Wait until you experience the rebels' artillery fire firsthand, then let's see if you'll still be laughing!'

Xiang Rong had previously fought directly against the Taiping Army and personally experienced the terrifying suppressive firepower.

He was even certain that even the foreigners, who were touted as being on top of the world, did not possess such terrifying firepower.

As for the various muskets, matchlock guns, and cannons equipped by the Green Camp, they were like firecrackers in front of them.

He didn't know about other places, but among his own troops, the latest firearms were all manufactured during the Qianlong era.

The era of horseback archery is over. After these Manchu old men have been hit head-on by lead bullets, they probably won't have a chance to laugh anymore.

"General!"

Jiang Zhongyuan, who had been forbidden from entering and could only wait outside, followed up with his long robe to pay his respects.

"You are~"

Xiang Rong was puzzled; he had never seen this person before.

Moreover, he was wearing mourning clothes.

"My name is Jiang Zhongyuan, a native of Xinning, and a Juren (successful candidate in the imperial examination) in the Dingyou year."

"Upon the recommendation of Vice Minister Zeng of the Ministry of Rites, he was appointed as the magistrate of Lishui County."

"My father passed away some time ago, and I returned to my hometown to observe mourning."

"When the Imperial Envoy passed by, I selected my humble servant to accompany him."

After he introduced himself, Xiang Rong suddenly realized, "Oh, I've heard of you. You're Jiang Zhongyuan, the one who dealt with Chu Yong."

Jiang Zhongyuan was a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations), but he did not pass the Jinshi (another

He was selected as a candidate through a general election.

The imperial examinations were held every three years, with only a few hundred people participating each time, and there were also those who did not become officials for various reasons.

It's simply not enough for the vast world at large.

Thus, the big challenge came about.

Those who passed the provincial examination, which was one rank lower than the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), could also become officials.

It's just that their potential can't be compared to that of the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations).

These were usually county magistrates, clerks, instructors, and so on.

Basically, becoming a county magistrate is already the ceiling; those who can break through that ceiling are extremely rare.

They are different from those who donated their official positions.

Don't be fooled by the fact that those who buy official positions often get fourth or fifth rank; in reality, they're just buying their way into office, and it's extremely difficult for them to actually hold a real position.

Unlike the top picks, they are considered substitutes and can easily fill vacancies.

Jiang Zhongyuan was recommended by Zeng the Barber and became the county magistrate, where he did a pretty good job.

Because my father died of illness, I returned to my hometown to observe mourning for him, which, according to custom, lasts for twenty-seven months.

During this time, he was not idle; instead, he organized a local militia in his hometown.

He became famous for using his local militia to suppress the uprising of Lei Zaihao, a Yao people with ties to the Qinglian sect, which broke out in his hometown.

For his meritorious service, he not only gained a reputation for military expertise but was also awarded a blue feather.

As the saying goes, throughout the Qing Dynasty, uprisings broke out one after another without interruption.

The news that Jiang Zhongyuan was able to use the despised local militia to eliminate a powerful rebel force spread throughout the officialdom and also reached Xiang Rong's ears.

"I wonder if Commander Xiang has any free time?"

Jiang Zhongyuan warmly invited, "This humble official has prepared a small feast; I humbly request that you grace us with your presence, General."

Normally, Xiang Rong would never have gone.

But now he is a criminal, and he is not even included in this military expedition.

After thinking it over, I decided to go anyway.

After a few drinks, Jiang Zhongyuan quickly began to inquire about intelligence related to the Taiping Army.

Xiang Rong didn't hold back and told everyone he could.

Jiang Zhongyuan grew increasingly alarmed as he listened, and couldn't help but ask, "Where did the rebels get so many sophisticated firearms?"

"Perhaps it was bought from foreigners," Xiang Rong said, raising his glass. "Who knows?"

"General," Jiang Zhongyuan asked again, "have you informed the Imperial Envoy?"

"It goes without saying."

Xiang Rong looked impatient and picked up a piece of braised meat. "Unfortunately, the Imperial Envoy only thinks that I, a defeated general, am shirking responsibility and deliberately portrays the enemy army as powerful."

He hummed along, "Once they realize it themselves, they'll understand whether I'm making excuses or not!"

After the banquet, Jiang Zhongyuan, who was worried about the affairs of the country, requested to see Sai Shang'a, but he was not even able to meet him.

He was extremely anxious and wrote another letter, which he sent to Minister Zeng in the capital.

However, the distance was too great, and before Minister Zeng could receive the letter, the imperial army had already set out.

Sai Shang'a personally led his army south from Yongzhou Prefecture, advancing along the Xiang River by both land and water to Quanzhou.

Yongzhou Prefecture is the hometown of General Lingling during the Three Kingdoms period.

This place borders Quanzhou, and the distance along the Xiang River is not far.

Upon learning the news, Lin Dao did not choose to ambush the enemy. Instead, he reorganized his troops and marched north to meet the Qing army at Huangsha Pass, 75 li northeast of Quanzhou City.

Huangsha Pass marks the boundary between Quanzhou and Yongzhou. Below the pass, on the banks of the Xiangjiang River, lies Huangsha Ferry.

Lin Dao was determined to fight the main force of the Qing army here.

"Meeting Head~"

A soldier in charge of reconnaissance and intelligence gathering reported that "the Qing invaders number over 20,000 troops, with hundreds of boats of various sizes on the Xiang River, and tens of thousands of porters and civilians."

At this time, the Qing army had not yet entered an era in which local landlord militias were the main military force.

Its main military force consisted of 200,000 Eight Banner soldiers and approximately 600,000 Green Standard Army soldiers. Considering the staggering amount of salaries paid for non-military personnel, the fact that it could mobilize more than 20,000 actual troops to fight was almost one-tenth of its total available forces.

Ten years ago, when we fought the foreign devils, we didn't even use this many troops.

"it is good."

Lin Dao nodded. "Since they have come, let them be buried."

"Instruct all units that after the war, corpses must not be carelessly discarded into the Xiang River to pollute the water source."

"Let's have a proper fight with the Qing demons."

From initially having just over a thousand men to besiege the enemy, the force has now grown to twenty or thirty thousand.

It is clear that the Qing court is increasingly emphasizing this issue.

And this is what Lin Dao likes.

When he went to the battlefield, his favorite thing to do was to annihilate the enemy's manpower on a large scale.

As the Qing army vanguard arrived more than ten miles outside Huangsha Pass, they set up camp.

A fierce preliminary battle immediately broke out between the two sides.

In the following days, the various Qing troops gradually arrived. Looking out from Huangsha Pass, the densely packed camps and tents stretched as far as the eye could see.

With an army of over 20,000 and tens of thousands of laborers, it was indeed a very large operation.

Saisanga ordered Ulantai to take charge of the town.

This deputy military commander of Guangdong held the dilapidated Huangsha Pass in utter contempt.

He instructed all units to concentrate gunpowder and artillery, planning to first bombard Huangsha Pass, and then launch a large-scale attack to pursue and kill the fleeing enemy.

On the day the siege was scheduled to begin, the Qing army units ate early and distributed rewards.

The difference in rewards between the bandit soldiers and their leaders was huge, with the most expensive leader receiving a reward of up to 3,500 taels of silver for his head.

As the various Qing army units marched out of their camps in turn, preparing to launch an attack on the city, a clear and resounding bugle call suddenly rang out from within the dilapidated Huangsha Pass.

The gates were opened, and a large number of Taiping soldiers poured out and lined up in response to the bugle call.

This unusual scene greatly surprised Ulantai.

"How dare these thieves engage in open battle with the imperial army?"

More than 20,000 imperial troops!
The military register says that there are 100,000 troops.

These are not just able-bodied men to make up the numbers; they are all registered soldiers.

A band of peasants actually faced off in a direct confrontation?

After a moment's thought, Ulantai ordered all departments to wait.

"The Huangsha Pass exit is narrow, with high mountains and the Xiangjiang River on both sides."

"Once the bandits are defeated, they will have nowhere to escape but death."

"Let them out, and every single one of them who comes out will die!"

Meanwhile, Lin Dao on the gate wall was watching the official boats on the distant river.

Having learned their lesson from the previous experience of using fire to attack ships, the Qing army was smarter this time.

They dispatched a fleet of old ships about a mile upstream from the main fleet.

They lay across the river, their long iron chains locking the river's surface.

Even if fire ships came, they would be blocked by iron chains.

If the rebels tried to cut the chains, the Qing soldiers on the old ship would shoot them with muskets and arrows.

Undoubtedly, this method can effectively prevent attacks by fire ships.

"The arrangements are quite good."

Lin Dao put down his binoculars and stood motionless on the gate wall, his gaze fixed on the upper reaches of the Xiang River.

On the river surface, dark, iron lumps drifted downstream.

These iron lumps were quite large, with many iron tentacles extending from them, floating and bobbing in the river, looking very strange.

The Qing soldiers on the ship had never seen anything like it before, and they all gathered curiously near the ship's side to watch.

A military officer noticed something was wrong and ordered his men to fire.

Arrows are useless, lead bullets are hard to hit, and even if you do hit them, they have little effect.

When they reloaded, the foremost iron lump was already wrapped with iron chains.

The next moment, a deafening roar!

A water column more than ten feet high burst forth from the river surface, and the soaring river water cascaded down like a torrential downpour.

The powerful explosion destroyed several of the nearest old ships.

Ripples spread out in circles, rocking the boats further away in disarray.

The broken iron chain sank into the water without any surprise.

More lumps of iron followed, flowing downstream.

Whenever it approached a Qing army ship, it would explode with a deafening roar, shattering the ship into pieces.

"It's easy to use, but it's too expensive."

Watching this scene, Lin Dao shook his head while holding his binoculars. "The Qing army traitors forced me to use expensive remote-controlled mines by using the Hengjiang Iron Chain."

"You just wait, I'll blow you all up and sink you into the river to feed the fish!"

The price of remote-controlled mines is vastly different from that of older, trigger-activated mines.

To deal with the iron chains blocking the river, Lin Dao spent a lot of money to buy high-end equipment.

There's nothing we can do about it; that's just how things are.

Fortunately, things became much easier once we reached the seaside, especially dealing with the so-called Royal Navy of the foreign devils.

We must blast them until they understand why the flowers are so red!

"Prepare."

Lin Dao turned around and looked at the artillery positions that had been cleared out behind him.

"fire!"

Dozens of mortars, whose firing parameters had already been set, fired high-explosive shells in succession.

Buzzes of cannonballs shot into the sky, tracing parabolic arcs and whistling sharply as they fell into the Qing army's ranks.

The primary targets of the first round of attacks were the Eight Banner soldiers, who wore various kinds of armor and seemed eager to be seen!

(End of this chapter)