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

Chapter 303: The Order to Suppress the Rebellion – A Worthy Death
Wu Jun's army came with great force, but Chief Minister Chiang remained calm and unhurried, focusing on road construction, house building, sexual relations, and incognito visits.

Under the manipulation of an invisible hand, the entire Zhili Province quickly shifted to a wartime state, with troops being trained, land reclamation being carried out, labor being provided, and mobilization being carried out.

Each cycle lasts seven days. All banner soldiers aged 5 and above enter the Xishan Camp for five days of closed training, and then go home to rest for two days.

Prepare for war!

Do not give them time to think. Excessive thinking will affect their loyalty.

……

Hejian Prefecture, Zhili Province.

A bustling village entrance.

Two cavalrymen arrived, planted their military flags on the ground, and shouted loudly:

"The imperial court is recruiting 100 new soldiers. Applicants must be between 12 and 15 years old, over five feet tall, in good health, without cavities, and with their parents, siblings, or relatives still alive."

"Monthly salary is 3 taels, never delayed."

"Those who want to join the army should sign up quickly. The number of soldiers is limited, so it's first come, first served."

Jiang Qingyun, traveling incognito, decided to stand at a distance and watch the spectacle. Standing beside him were Huang Zongxi and Jiang Bei, both dressed in plain clothes.

Initially, the recruitment site was deserted.

The ancient saying that "good men don't become soldiers" is deeply ingrained in this land, and men on this land will resolutely refuse to join the army unless they are desperate to survive.

After a while, a village head from a nearby village came.

The captain and the soldier whispered among themselves for a while, then picked up the gong and banged it on the edge of the field. Soon, people arrived.

the reason is simple.

The head of the family first approached a poor relative in a nearby village. This family had many people but little land and no large livestock, so they were struggling to make ends meet.

He told his relatives, "This is lucrative."

The relative immediately understood and took his three sons there.

As soon as others saw this, they immediately rushed to sign up.

A crowd gathered around the recruitment area, asking all sorts of questions.

cavalry:

"See? If you're not tall enough to reach the markings on the pole, you can't do it."

"Open your mouths and look at your teeth."

"Take off your clothes and check if you have any infectious diseases."

After a round of on-site assessment, several dozen teenagers were left behind. The village headman then invited a private tutor from the village to assist in registering the new recruits on-site.

……

Jiang Qingyun turned his horse and left, no longer looking around.

It was early spring, the season when ice and snow melted and everything came back to life, but the wind was still cold.

The two rode their horses and chatted as they went.

"Grand Secretary, I would like to know how you plan to handle the imperial examination?"

"I won't answer that question right now. Instead, I'll ask you another one: What is the purpose of studying?"

Huang Zongxi was taken aback.

"Understand principles, cultivate oneself, and govern the country."

Jiang Qingyun shook his head.

"The wealthy need not buy fertile fields, for books contain abundant grain. The peaceful need not build grand mansions, for books contain houses of gold. When going out, do not lament the lack of attendants, for books contain carriages and horses in abundance. When seeking a wife, do not lament the lack of a good matchmaker, for books contain beauties like jade. Most people study for only two words: to become officials. Elder Huang, am I right?"

The Grand Secretary had a keen eye for detail.

"To govern a country, one must first govern its officials—that's your theory too. But can those officials selected through the imperial examinations really achieve that?"

"At most, it can only be achieved temporarily."

"That's the problem."

After a few dozen breaths of silence, Huang Zongxi spoke again.

"Grand Secretary, if we abolish the imperial examination system, how will we select scholars?"

"There's no better selection method than exams. But what if all those selected through exams are clever insects?"

Huang Zongxi did not answer.

After a long time~
Jiang Qingyun muttered to himself.

"In fact, the root of the problem lies in people's hearts."

"And why have people's hearts become so ugly? It's because of our social atmosphere."

"And who sets the trend? Is it the officials, the gentry, or the merchants?"

"May I ask the Grand Secretary, how can we change this atmosphere?" "The first thing is one word—kill. Kill the insects and the people until their heads roll, kill the shameless until they are reduced to ashes, kill them until they are powerless to resist, and then we can consider other things."

"What the Grand Secretary said makes sense, but I have only one concern."

"explain."

"What if I get carried away with killing and lose control, unable to stop myself?"

Jiang Qingyun did not answer the question. He spurred his horse and galloped away, his black cloak fluttering in the wind.

……

5 days later.

The new army camp in Baoding Prefecture was officially opened.

The daily routines, discipline, and ideological training of the 5000 new recruits strictly followed the "Infantry Drill Manual," but specific military skills were taught by Banner and Han officers.

The first thing upon entering the camp was to line up for a haircut, shower, and disinfection.

Unsurprisingly, some people resisted shaving their heads.

A boy covered his head in terror: "Sir, you can't shave your braid!"

The instructor's face instantly contorted with rage: "Why not?"

The boy said, "My father said, 'Keep your hair or lose your head, keep your head or lose your hair.' People in the Qing Dynasty had to keep their queues, otherwise the Eight Banners officials would kill them."

The instructor took off his hat, revealing a short, shaved head.

“I am a Manchu.”

"Drag him out, give him 20 strokes of the cane, and drive him out of the camp."

"As ordered."

The military camp is not a place for reasoning; in the military camp, all that matters is obedience, absolute obedience.

The new recruits' shoes, socks, and hair were burned, and they were only allowed to enter the barracks and receive brand-new shoes, socks, and clothing after holding their breath for three breaths in a medicinal bath.

Black button-down military uniform, black leather boots, black belt, and black cylindrical military cap.

But the military flag was bright red.

……

South of the city, at the Chiang Kai-shek residence.

In the study.

Jiang Qingyun received a series of urgent reports from various southwestern provinces.

Hunan Governor Zhuo Butai: Wu's army is fierce and powerful. Changsha Prefecture and Changde Prefecture have fallen, and Yuezhou Prefecture has surrendered to the enemy. I am leading 2000 remnant soldiers to garrison Yuanzhou Prefecture in Jiangxi. I request the court to send reinforcements as soon as possible.

Jiangxi Provincial Treasurer Suleda: Wu Sangui's army is formidable and has already reached the provincial border. The Jiangxi Governor secretly communicated with Wu Sangui, intending to surrender territory, but the plot was exposed. I, along with the Provincial Green Standard Army Commander Xian Guoan, jointly suppressed and killed him. In haste, he led his troops to flee into Fuzhou Prefecture. I am holding Nanchang and fortifying the city's defenses. I request the Imperial Court to send reinforcements immediately.

Governor-General Zhou Shao of Liangjiang: "The situation in Liangjiang is temporarily calm, but undercurrents are surging, rumors are rampant in the streets, and the people are constantly discussing it. Please give me your specific advice on how to deal with this."

Governor-General of Sichuan, Li Guoying: "Although I have a past relationship with Wu Sangui, I will never side with him in his rebellion. The same is true of Wang Jinbao, the Green Standard Army Commander of this province; to demonstrate his loyalty, he has already moved his entire family to Chengdu. However, Sichuan is facing a shortage of provisions and supplies. For the sake of the overall situation, I request that 3000 troops and 10 taels of silver be allocated to reinforce Baoning. Baoning is the key to Sichuan's defense; its fortified city allows for both defensive retreat and the potential conquest of the entire province. Baoning borders Hanzhong to the north, connected by waterways for convenient supply. To the east lies Kuizhou, suppressing the Ming army. Baoning is crucial to Sichuan; as long as Baoning exists, Sichuan exists. If Baoning falls, Sichuan falls."

Jiang Qingyun immediately took out a map, found Bao Ning on it, and after observing him for a while, he couldn't help but admire the man's excellent strategic vision.

Baoning is indeed the Achilles' heel of Sichuan.

Immediately plan to write back.

Governor Li Guoying felt as if he were seeing the person in person upon reading this letter:

If the pay is insufficient, I will provide it.

If there isn't enough grain, I'll allocate some.

If we don't have enough soldiers, I'll send more.

At most three months later, 3000 Shaanxi-Gansu Green Standard Army reinforcements, 200,000 taels of silver, and 50,000 shi of grain will be transported to Baoning by waterway.

Wu Sangui and his ilk are not worth worrying about. Although they may cause a stir for a time, their ultimate fate is defeat and destruction.

The troops in Sichuan need not launch an attack. Instead, they should focus on farming, training, and containing the enemy, while also monitoring the movements of the thirteen families in Kuidong and reporting back to the emperor promptly.

……

Continue writing the second letter.

Hunan Governor Zhuo Butai and Jiangxi Acting Governor Suleda received this letter as if they were meeting in person.

The governor Zhuo Butai was guilty of a crime punishable by death for losing Changsha, but considering the overwhelming strength of the rebels, he was spared for the time being and demoted to the garrison commander of Yuanzhou, stationed in Pingxiang to resist the Wu army.

If lost, beheaded!
Their troops' food, provisions, and weapons were supplied by Jiangxi.

The Jiangxi Provincial Governor, Su Leda, was exceptionally loyal and brave. He was tasked with holding Jiangxi and dealing with the Wu army. The four cities along the Gan River (Jiujiang, Nanchang, Ji'an, and Ganzhou) were the lifeline of Jiangxi. He was ordered to use all the silver from the provincial treasury to expand the Poyang Lake navy and assist in the defense of the Gan River.

In any case, Jiujiang must not be lost.

If lost, their entire clan shall be exterminated.

(End of this chapter)