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

Chapter 327 Public Sentiment and Military Morale

Jiang Qingyun stayed in Baoding Prefecture for three days, during which time he wandered around, sometimes shaking hands with this military dependent's father, sometimes lifting the lid of that family's pot to take a look.

Various makeshift shacks stretched for more than ten miles, and the environment was extremely bad. Fortunately, it was only a temporary place to stay, so there was no need to make a big fuss about it.

Along the way, I saw old people and young children.

What they all had in common was that each of them had one or more sons serving in the Baoding New Army.

Three days later~
Everyone was impressed by this young high-ranking official.

Lu Xun once said:

The ordinary people living on this land have almost no chance of receiving any goodwill from the elite.

Therefore, if the elite class shows them even the slightest bit of goodwill, even if it is not entirely sincere, it will be unforgettable and deeply etched in their minds.

This is a very interesting phenomenon.

Jiang Qingyun served as a deputy section chief his entire life, and he knew that ordinary people were actually very easy to please.

Although ordinary people are naturally cunning, there are reasons for that!

……

With a major battle imminent, we must win the morale of our troops!
At Jiang Qingyun's command, the Huang family disciples, the South City Guild, and the young people who had grown up in the orphanage took on the important task of dividing the land.

50 mu per household!
Each household must have no less than 5 mu of paddy fields!
Clan members, villagers, and fellow townsmen should be grouped together as much as possible!
Jiang Qingyun had plenty of land. Over the years, he controlled the imperial estates and banner fields in Zhili Province, the land owned by Shanxi merchants, and the land owned by the Donglin Party in Jiangnan.

This is an enormous fortune.

This wealth can be used to cultivate a group of die-hard loyalists who will defend Jiang Qingyun's beliefs to the death and will continuously send their sons to the battlefield.

In 17th-century warfare, morale was a hundred times more important than weaponry!
A politician's calculations are always far superior to those of a military strategist.

……

Once the military order was issued, the Baoding New Army was given a two-day leave.

Families reunite, then bid farewell with tears in their eyes.

Chen Fu, a native of Feixian County, Yizhou Prefecture, Shandong Province, is Chen Erya's older brother. It took him a long time to find his temporary home.

At the entrance of the shack.

Two young women are helping in the kitchen.

The three younger brothers are digging a drainage ditch.

"Mother~"

With a tearful cry, he knelt down on the muddy ground at the doorway.

Mother and son were reunited and wept with joy.

"Quick, come inside and show your father."

Chen Fu strode into the house, where his father's memorial tablet stood in the middle.

He solemnly kowtowed three times.

"Father, don't worry, our family's life is really getting better. We were allocated 50 mu of land in Baoding Prefecture, and we rented out 45 mu. Mother and my younger siblings will never go hungry again."

The woman standing to the side quickly placed the land deed in front of the memorial tablet.

"Honey, look, this is our family's land deed."

……

During meals~
Er Ya, whose face was dark, came closer.

“Brother, I have five taels of dowry.”

Where did you get the money?

"It was given to me by Chief Minister Chiang."

"Bullshit."

"real."

After hearing what had happened, Chen Fu's eyes reddened, and tears dripped into the bowl, splashing up droplets.

"I ate two, you can share the rest."

A group of younger siblings excitedly shared the remaining boiled eggs; the farm children could hardly imagine that there was any food in the world that tasted better than boiled eggs.

When agricultural civilization developed to the 17th century, when it had exhausted the last bit of fertility of the land, and when it had essentially reached a dead end.

Foods like boiled eggs and dumplings were considered delicacies even for ordinary wealthy people.

“Rich boy, you shouldn’t have given them to them.”

"Mother, I have meat in the army camp."

"Really?"

"Mother, war is about to break out. The Grand Secretary said that the war is to change the terrible state of the world and establish a relatively fair world."

Upon hearing that war was imminent, the atmosphere at the table instantly became much more somber.

The bloodshed of the Ming-Qing transition is still fresh in our minds.

……

The next day.

A dozen or so scouts ran and shouted as they went.

"New Army soldiers, all return to camp!" As the scouts arrived, many young men emerged from the shacks, tearfully bidding farewell to their families and hurrying towards the military camp ten miles away.

Chen Fu's mother followed him out, clutching her son's hand with tears in her eyes.

"Rich boy, you must cherish your life in war."

"Mother, you should go back now."

Chen Fu had just taken a few steps when he heard a loud shout behind him.

"Fu'er, what I said just now was wrong. You must fight to the death! You must fight to the death!"

Chen Furu was struck by lightning. He stopped trembling, turned around again, knelt down, and kowtowed.

……

New Army Camp.

The atmosphere was tense, with sentries standing guard everywhere.

The newly promoted junior officers had no smiles on their faces; they were busy with their own tasks, counting soldiers, maintaining weapons, distributing equipment, and emphasizing military discipline.

The walls were covered with slogans:

"May the traitor be punished by Heaven!"

"unity is strength!"

"It is easier to shake a mountain than to shake a new army."

"Kill Wu Sangui and his lackeys, and restore the glory of the Han dynasty."

"Eat Chiang Kai-shek's food, wear Chiang Kai-shek's clothes, and listen to Chiang Kai-shek's words."

These new army soldiers, aged 13 to 16, received daily political education and ideological enlightenment personally designated by Chiang Kai-shek from the moment they entered the camp.

Over time, their thinking changed.

……

Golden autumn October.

The autumn harvest is basically complete.

The war machine roared into action, its sword aimed at Wu Sangui.

The 5000-strong new army set off first, marching south on foot, their morale high.

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

Upon arriving at the mansion, weary from his journey, Jiang Zhongcheng's first words were: "Has Huang Xiusheng been born?"

Ms. Wen took a deep breath: "She gave birth, but it's a daughter."

Jiang Zhongcheng's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a solemn expression.

"Yun'er, why don't I go to war instead? You stay home and try your best to have a son soon."

"Father, I must fight this battle myself."

"why?"

“Wu Sangui is our biggest threat. Fighting Wu is 40% military and 60% political. Others can’t grasp the balance and can’t command the Eight Banners. I must personally take charge of this battle.”

Feeling depressed, Jiang Zhongcheng started drinking alone.

……

"Dad, how many days did it take you on the road?"

“Eight days! I left Yuezhou quietly as instructed in your letter. I only took 100 servants with me this time, and the remaining 400 servants will stay in Yuezhou for your command.”

The father and son clinked glasses in perfect unison.

"Yun'er, what if the Chahar cavalry or the Eight Banners from beyond the Great Wall launch a surprise attack on our rear?"

"So I've been busy urging all the prefectures and counties to rush the autumn harvest. The official granaries of the prefectures and counties near Shanhaiguan are not left with any surplus grain. The grain is concentrated in a few major cities as much as possible. The Chahar cavalry is not a threat. They haven't attacked cities for a long time, so their threat is limited. It is the native Eight Banners outside the pass that are very dangerous."

"Shanhaiguan must be taken back!"

"Yes, after I deal with Wu Sangui, my first target will be Shanhaiguan."

"What should I do if, I mean, if two enemy forces come in at the same time?"

"Defend the capital to the death!"

"But I have few soldiers at my disposal right now, and most of my Zhili Green Standard Army is in Yuezhou."

"Once I lead the Eight Banners troops to Yuezhou, I will immediately transfer 10000 infantrymen back to the capital. The round trip will take at least three months. But don't panic. Sony doesn't have the courage of Dorgon to enter the pass. Besides, heavy snow has already fallen in Liaodong. I don't think Sony will launch a full-scale attack on Zhili."

"Row."

"Father, I am going to the south to oversee the troops. It will take at least six months and at most a year. I will leave the rear to you."

"Don't worry, our Jiang family only produces a true dragon once every few thousand years. With our ancestors above, your unfilial son Jiang Zhongcheng solemnly swears today that even if I die, I will not hold you back! Otherwise, I will have no face to face our ancestors!!"

Jiang Qingyun felt a chill run down her spine, her thoughts instantly becoming complicated.

"Father, I salute you!"

"slow."

Jiang Zhongcheng snatched the wine glass from him.

“I’ve asked around, and drinking affects the chances of having a son, so you shouldn’t drink anymore. Also, you should bring at least three or five concubines with you when you go south to oversee the troops. I’ve set a goal for you: you must not only win battles, but also have a son.”

(End of this chapter)