You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Chapter 191 Eight Banners officers with an annual salary of 50 taels or more, step forward!

Qing army camp.

Inside Beile Tunqi's military tent, a group of royal nobles gathered, all of them looking worried and sighing.

Suddenly, the tent flap was flung open.

"I am back."

"Sharibu, how are you?"

"Lord Ao has fallen ill again. He can't be confined to any room. He's tearing down doors with his bare hands and chasing after the guards. Gentlemen, Lord Ao is completely insane, and Lord Jiang is half-insane. Clearly, we can only choose him."

After Shalibu finished speaking, he grabbed the wine jar and drank it all in one go. He then secretly sneaked back to Jingzhou City to check, and the round trip was exhausting.

The group looked at each other, bewildered. It was all over.

……

"Your Highness, there is no other choice."

"With the examples of the several banner lords and princes in the capital, we must honor him as the Grand General no matter what, otherwise the court will regard us as traitors and our families will be implicated."

That night, Tunqi tossed and turned, unable to sleep, so he simply went out of his tent for a stroll.

The military camp was well-organized.

Exposed sentries, hidden sentries, patrol teams, stables, provisions—everything was arranged perfectly.

Of course, none of this has anything to do with Jiang Qingyun.

It wasn't that he had a brilliant plan, but rather that he only needed to issue a rough military order, and the well-trained officers would break it down into several smaller steps and carry them out properly.

Setting up camp, eating, crossing the river, and donning armor—the soldiers managed themselves all.

Everything in the military camp was so orderly that everyone overlooked the fact that Jiang Qingyun was an amateur, including Jiang Qingyun himself!
……

The sentry shouted sternly:

"Password!"

"Charging into battle, we will die together."

"This humble servant greets Your Highness."

"Is the General still awake?"

"Yes."

"I'll go take a look."

"Please~"

The commander's tent was brightly lit.

"This humble general garrisoned here requests an audience with the General."

"come in."

Tunqi unfastened his sword and tossed it to the guard at the door, took a deep breath, and lifted the tent flap.

It was brightly lit inside.

Jiang Qingyun didn't even look up, he was lying there writing furiously.

The ink on the flags was still wet.

"Bordered Red Banner Charge Battalion to the Death," "Plain Red Banner Charge Battalion with No Mercy," "Bordered White Banner Charge Battalion with Certain Death," "Plain White Banner Charge Battalion with Desperate Strike"
"General?"

Jiang Qingyun turned her head and smiled, inadvertently revealing her gleaming white teeth.

"I have studied the history of the Eight Banners' warfare and have gained some insights. From the Later Jin to the Qing Dynasty, the territory expanded, but the Eight Banners declined. Therefore, I personally designed these banners. Tomorrow, I will launch a fierce battle to awaken the dormant martial prowess within the banner soldiers."

"General, how exhilarating was it?"

"We'll know tomorrow!"

……

Dawn.

Jiang Qingyun was still writing furiously, with crumpled paper scattered all over the floor.

In a daze, the tent flap was lifted again.

"General! General!"

"What's the matter?"

"It's time for breakfast."

"Oh, bring it here. Why are you crying?"

"General, you are not old, and your health is not good. If you continue to not eat or drink, what will become of the soldiers?"

Jiang Qingyun sighed and put his hands behind his back.

"The enemies lurking in the capital are watching us like hawks, and the dregs of the southwestern rebels are rising again. I dare not close my eyes. If I do, I will see the clash of swords, the screams of men and the neighing of horses, and rivers of blood. Do you understand?"

There was no response for a long time.

Jiang Qingyun searched inside the tent and found that the person was gone, so he angrily went outside the tent.

Where is the person who was talking to me just now?

The guard was terrified:
"General, I have been standing here the whole time, and I have not seen anyone come or go."

"Oh, it's nothing." Jiang Qingyun returned to the tent without saying a word, took out some of the medicine powder left by Wu Yong, and swallowed it with warm tea.

Softly chant: Amitabha Buddha~
……

early morning.

Under the command of officers at all levels, the Eight Banners Army's pre-battle preparations were carried out in an orderly and efficient manner.

Experienced commanders know that a corps of experienced junior officers is the most valuable asset of an army, and even a layman like Jiang Qingyun knows this.

Breakfast time was bustling with noise everywhere.

Someone asked Tunqi in a low voice, "How is the General?"

Tunqi thought for a moment and replied, "Barely healthy."

How difficult was it?

Just as Tun Qi was about to say something, he saw Jiang Qingyun, looking radiant, approaching.

Behind him stood a cloud of armored soldiers, with a contingent of guards in yellow riding jackets standing out, as if reminding everyone that General Dingyuan was protected by imperial power.

Military Commander Yablan shouted:

"The General has ordered that all officers of the rank of Zuo Ling and above shall be given a bowl of wine as a reward for the imminent battle."

Drinking is good; no one in the army dislikes drinking.

Someone, holding a murky bowl of wine, asked:

"What kind of wine is this?"

"Baturu medicinal wine".

What's inside?

"I don't know, it must be a good thing, probably quite expensive."

Shortly afterward, all the drinks were gone.

Everyone praised the wine's potency, feeling a surge of energy coursing through their bodies. Many nervously drew their swords and sheathed them again, eager to put them to use.

His face was glowing!

After all, this wine contains deer antler, tiger penis, cinnamon, seahorse, silver goat's ear, century-old ginseng, and the remaining medicinal powder after overthrowing Ao Bai.

What a fine pot of Chinese herbal medicine!

……

Ten miles away, the Ming army camp.

Li Dingguo received the challenge letter personally drafted by Jiang Qingyun and was secretly delighted. He then picked up his pen and wrote: "That is exactly what I wish for."

His current situation is very unfavorable. His supplies to Guizhou have been cut off, and his stronghold in Guangxi has been occupied by Sun Kewang. He is surrounded by enemies on all sides.

Of the 7 troops, only 1 were veterans.

The army's food supplies were only enough to last for eight days.

As he stepped out of the command tent, countless soldiers silently surrounded him, their eyes filled with trust and expectation.

I will follow Prince Li Jin to the death!
"Brothers, I will fight alongside you in this battle, either we live or we die together."

"Your Highness~"

The soldiers choked up.

However~
Zhu Youlang suddenly fell ill, whether it was a real illness or a feigned one, it is unknown. In any case, he was unable to fulfill Li Dingguo's expectation of personally beating the war drums in his dragon robe to cheer on the army during the great battle.

The emperor's drumming is equivalent to 5000 elite guards.

An emperor charging into battle can withstand 50000 elite soldiers.

A thought suddenly popped into Li Dingguo's mind: The Yongli Emperor was far inferior to the Longwu Emperor.
……

Inside the Qing army camp.

Jiang Qingyun was also radiant and full of energy, as if he were brimming with strength.

The messenger shouted in the camp:

"By order of the General, all officers with an annual salary of 50 taels or more shall step forward!"

Half an hour later~
Jiang Qingyun was surrounded by people, so he simply climbed onto the roof of a supply wagon:
"After entering the pass, the Eight Banners collectively degenerated, and their combat effectiveness declined sharply. The reason was that many officers were afraid of death and indulged in pleasure, which led to the great defeat at Hengzhou."

"This won't do; officers must take the lead."

"I hereby announce the formation of an officer suicide squad as the spearhead of the entire army, to strike directly at the Ming army."

"All officers with an annual salary of 50 taels or more were assigned to the suicide squad. This was not voluntary, but forced. Anyone who disobeyed would have their entire family killed."

Silence fell.

A ninth-rank blue-feathered officer's annual salary already exceeds 50 taels of silver. It's like they're going to recruit all the military officers above the ninth rank into the suicide squad.

Beile Tunqi quickly squeezed to the front of the crowd.

He knelt on one knee and pleaded:

"General, this is absolutely unacceptable! Training a qualified officer takes years, even decades, to let them die needlessly at the hands of Ming soldiers. How absurd!"

(End of this chapter)