Qing Yao

Chapter 359 My Lord, if you're angry, take it out on the imperial court!
Fu Chang'an's loan of two million taels of silver was timely, but not enough. Zhao An planned to use his power as acting governor to package certain industries in Anhui, and then borrow large sums of money from several branches of the Imperial Household Department in Jiangnan through Manager Shi of Hengli Money Shop in Yangzhou.

With a provincial governor colluding with a mole at the bank manager level, it would be no problem for them to embezzle another hundred or two hundred thousand taels from the old man.

After all, it's not done at one branch, but at several.

Because the old man's family bank wasn't networked, the branches in various places had a lot of autonomy, and the accounts were only consolidated at the head office at the end of the year.

Unfortunately, the Imperial Household Department's banks looked down on Anhui and didn't open any branches there. Otherwise, Zhao An could have gotten all the officials of the seventh rank and above in Anhui to take out small loans.

Not masturbating?

Are you looking down on the provincial governor for not being able to repay, or are you looking down on the old master for not being able to lend money?

There are several ways to embezzle funds, and they can be packaged in various ways, ultimately leading to an extremely absurd situation—any official who works under Zhao An, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, is burdened with huge debts.

If you want to repay your debts, you must unconditionally support Lord Zhao.

Even if they rebel, they have to follow along, because if they don't support Lord Zhao, they'll have to pay back the old man's money.

How can we repay this?

Why did former Soviet officials support the collapse of the Soviet Union? Because it would allow them to legitimately become oligarchs.

Without the disintegration of the state, it is impossible to achieve the legal transfer of wealth and complete financial freedom.

Specifically, for Zhao An, only the collapse of the Qing Dynasty would allow his officials to achieve debt freedom.

The principles are the same; the difference lies in the era and the way they are expressed.

Anhui is beyond our control. Even if Zhao An becomes the governor of Anhui, it won't change anything. We could try a richer province instead, and it would be even better if he became the governor-general of Liangjiang.

Zhao Anke had always been thinking about the dragon head cane of the Grand Canal Gang that was kept in the office of the Governor-General of Liangjiang.

Although there were soldiers available from Anhui, the organized social group of the Grand Canal Gang was a good use of them, especially since the Grand Canal Gang also had the military function of launching a surprise attack on the capital and the strategic function of paralyzing the Qing government's north-south artery.

In addition, with a little training, the members of the Canal Gang could also form a navy on the spot, and at the same time have the function of intelligence network.

It is important to know that the canal gangs were not only active on the Grand Canal, but also in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. There was a branch of the canal gang called the "Anqing Gang" in Anqing. The shipping business in Jiujiang and Hankou upstream was also basically monopolized by the canal gangs. Their personnel and strongholds were widely distributed, which was practically a ready-made intelligence network.

Ding Jiu's Hubei salt transportation line is currently in contact with the canal gang members in Hankou. At present, they are mainly trying to win them over through the transfer of benefits and transportation. Once they have fed them enough, they will start to exert their intelligence and infiltration capabilities.

Of course, Ding Jiu and his group didn't know about the White Lotus Rebellion and the three-stage preparation theory. They only knew that "Young Master" was genuinely looking out for the benefit of the gang and wholeheartedly wanted to make the brothers of the Canal Gang live a good life.

Rebellion? How could that be possible?
Before he was bestowed the imperial yellow robe, Zhao An saw himself as a capable and powerful minister who was extremely loyal to the old master and the Qing Dynasty.

Of course, one can also be a boxer.

The successful military drills and ceremonies united local officials and gentry, while the supplementary pay, improved food, and reformed salary distribution procedures quickly stabilized morale. According to Zhao An's established procedures, the next step was naturally to conduct a thorough inspection of the military equipment of this Fubiao Army.

Zhao An may not be an expert in specific military tactics, but he understands a very simple principle: to make soldiers willing to fight, in addition to giving them enough money to fight for their lives, dignity, and security after their deaths, they must also be equipped with reliable and high-quality weapons.

With an AK in hand, you can smile even when facing tigers and wolves.

The weaponry of the Anhui Green Standard Army was like a microcosm of the Qing Empire at that time, in an awkward situation of "both cold and hot weapons coexisting".

At present, cold weapons are still the main equipment of the Qing army, especially the spears and lances, which are simple in structure and inexpensive to manufacture. These long weapons are the standard equipment of the Green Standard Army when forming formations to fight the enemy.

Secondly, there were waist knives and bows and arrows.

However, the rate of bows and arrows being used by the Anhui Green Standard Army was quite low. Even elite troops like the Fubiao were only equipped with 300 bows. This was because bows and arrows had extremely high requirements for materials and craftsmanship, and Anhui was located in the humid Jianghuai region, making the maintenance of bows extremely difficult.

The total number of bows held by the Green Standard Army in Anhui is estimated to be no more than 1000.

On the contrary, the adoption rate of firearms is quite high, reaching 60% in Fubiao and about 40% in local garrison troops.

However, both the matchlock gun used by individual soldiers and the slingshot that required two people to cooperate were outdated relics of the times, with an effective range of no more than a hundred paces. Their shortcomings were numerous, such as cumbersome loading, slow rate of fire, vulnerability to wind and rain, long firing intervals, and low combat effectiveness.

Based on this, Zhao An naturally wanted to improve the musket, and wanted to make smoothbore, breech-loading, and rifled versions of it. However, after thinking it over, he realized that upgrading and fixing the flintlock and gunpowder was the most practical improvement, and also the most cost-effective and efficient way to upgrade.

Just as you have to eat one bite at a time, you also have to upgrade your weapons. Even if Zhao An wanted to make rifles and bayonets in one go, he didn't have the lathes and skilled workers for that.

They possess theoretical knowledge but lack practical skills.

When the governor requested to inspect the weapons, the officers and men of the garrison naturally dared not object. However, they never expected that the governor had a clear objective. He did not look at the exquisite "decorative weapons" they had prepared in advance, nor did he check the swords and spears. Instead, he went straight to the musketeers at the back of the column and casually took a musket from one of them.

The musket was quite heavy when Zhao An picked it up. Upon closer inspection, he discovered a problem: the barrel was crudely cast, and even tiny pinholes could be seen. The match cord seemed like it would break if pinched, and the wooden fork supporting the barrel was quite old, as if it would break if hit hard.

"Is this what you mean by having complete armaments and excellent weapons?"

Weighing the obviously defective shotgun in his hand, Zhao An's dissatisfaction was written all over his face. "Even bandits would shake their heads at a shotgun of this quality, yet you've issued it to your soldiers to fight on the battlefield!"

Upon hearing this, Du Man and the others lowered their heads in shame, not daring to offend the provincial governor. But this really had nothing to do with them. It was true that they drank the blood of their soldiers, but it was a complete injustice to say that they didn't want their soldiers to have good weapons.

The weapons were all provided by the imperial court!
Zhao An knew this perfectly well, so he snorted irritably and waved his hand, "Bring me the medicine and lead bullets, I want to test the gun!" Du Man, seeing this, hurriedly said in fright, "Sir, no, absolutely not!"

Zhao An objected: "Why not?"

Du Man cautiously replied, "To be honest, sir, these muskets are quite old, and many of their mechanisms are outdated. You are of noble birth; you should not take such risks lightly."

"Oh?"

Zhao An looked at him with a look of utter disappointment. "What's the danger? Is it that it won't ignite, or will it explode on its own after being fired? Today, I want to see for myself whether the vast sums of money the court spends every year to acquire a weapon that is truly effective in killing the enemy, or just a pretty face!"

The will of the provincial governor is beyond question and must be obeyed; otherwise, it is considered disobedience.

Unfortunately, the gunpowder and lead bullets had to be retrieved.

Just when everyone thought the provincial governor was going to load and test the gun himself, he unexpectedly shoved the gun directly into the hands of Commander Du: "Commander Du has been in the army for over twenty years. Today, I would like to ask you to test this gun for me!"

"This"

Despite his reluctance, Du Man forced himself to begin the operation. His movements were quite skillful; he first poured in gunpowder, then filled in the bullets and compacted them with a tamping rod. Afterward, he took out a tinderbox, lit the match cord, and carefully clipped it to the dragon head at the bottom of the musket.

Zhao Anxin calculated that the whole process took about a minute, which was quite time-consuming.

However, this is under conditions of no interference and no psychological pressure. On the real battlefield, soldiers face immense pressure, so the reloading time could potentially double.

Especially when one's own forces are at a disadvantage.

Infantry combat is fine, but if the opponent is cavalry, they will have already rushed over and reaped the kills in the one or two minutes of reload time.

From a practical standpoint, improving firearms and increasing soldier training are of paramount importance.

With the hissing sound of the matchlock burning, Du Man carefully raised the gun, aimed at the target set up in the distance, and pulled the trigger. The gun barrel immediately ignited the priming powder in the powder tank. With a loud bang, a large amount of white smoke billowed out, and the bullet was ejected from the gun barrel.

However, there were no bullets on the target.

Missed!
Du Dusi was embarrassed and felt wronged. He had fired the same gun twenty years ago, so it was inevitable that he was a bit rusty.

He was also secretly relieved that the gun hadn't exploded; otherwise, he would have suffered greatly, possibly even losing a hand.

Whether he hit or not, Zhao An didn't really care. He sniffed and took the hot-barreled musket from Du Man to examine it carefully. Near the gunpowder pool, a tiny crack was clearly visible on the barrel!
At most three shots, and this musket will either misfire or explode; there are no exceptions.

"How many shotguns did the battalion have? And how many of them were as unusable as these?"

Zhao An's voice revealed no trace of joy or anger.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, the garrison is equipped with 1100 shotguns and 120 matchlock guns. Less than half of them are usable."

Given the governor's professionalism, Du Man could not hide it. In particular, the governor had led troops in Suzhou and defeated the White Lotus rebels, proving himself to be a capable minister with both literary and military skills, rather than just a simple civil official.

It is unheard of for an army to have only half of its standard weapons in use!

Zhao An did not immediately lash out, but instead pressed on with an almost professional tone: "I ask you, how many of these firearms are lost each year? How are they repaired after they are damaged? And where are new ones replenished?"

Du Man broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this and had no choice but to report the truth: "Sir, because the muskets were manufactured so many years ago, some of them are no longer usable. They crack and explode after firing only a few shots, or they simply misfire. As for repairs, as you know, there is no place in Anhui that can repair firearms. Damaged firearms must be sent to Jiangning, and it takes at least three or four months for them to arrive and return. Moreover, there are often delays, and they are often not delivered in time."

The difficulty in repairs mentioned by Du Dusi is not unique to Anhui, but a common problem in all Han provinces within the Great Wall.

The Ministry of War of the Qing government stipulated that, apart from the maintenance of cold weapons and armor, the maintenance of firearms and cannons of the Green Standard Army in various regions should generally be the responsibility of the nearest Manchu city.

Because there were specialized craftsmen in the city, these craftsmen were mostly descendants of the Han Eight Banners, whose ancestors were either soldiers of the Three Shun Kings or descendants of hereditary craftsmen of the Ming army who surrendered to the Qing army from within the Great Wall.

The closest Manchu city to Anhui was Jiangning Manchu City, so the repair and replenishment of firearms damaged by the Anhui Green Standard Army were all handled by Jiangning Manchu City.

The fundamental reason is still the need to prevent the spread of the virus.

If each province's Green Standard Army had its own gun and cannon manufacturing plant, would the Qing court feel at ease?

"You mean that in the event of war, these firearms will break down after each shot, and there's no way to repair them on the spot, so in the end all these firearms will become scrap metal?"

Zhao An, enraged, laughed and pointed outside the city, shouting, "If the White Lotus Rebellion breaks out again now, and the rebels come to the provincial capital, do you expect me to use scrap iron to repel them?!"

"My lord, this is a rule set by the imperial court."

Du Man felt it was necessary to protest his innocence. Who wouldn't want something broken to be repaired and usable again, but the conditions didn't allow it.

If you, the provincial governor, have any objections, raise them with the imperial court. Why are you taking your anger out on me, a mere military commander?

Zhao An remained silent, then sighed softly, and said to the Fu Biao people in a "consultative" tone, "If the court forbids it, isn't there any alternative? How can a living person be allowed to die from holding their pee?"

(End of this chapter)