The Revolt of the Three Feudatories: All-in at the start in Beijing

In fact, these kinds of reforms are easier to implement when the territory is small, and mistakes can be corrected. Once the country is unified and the forces are integrated, all sorts of shady characters will emerge and cause trouble.

Li Guangdi and the others understood these principles, but they still looked uneasy. Even though the gentry in the north were declining, those scholars who had struggled for the imperial examinations for years or even decades would certainly not be able to accept it.

This changed the way scientific research was conducted.

This is undoubtedly unfair to them!

Seeing that Li Guangdi and the others still frowned after he said those words, Liu Mu knew what they were worried about.

This is not unfounded worry.

Huang Chao was able to capture Chang'an not because he was particularly capable, but because the prevailing circumstances were pushing him forward. He represented the elite from humble backgrounds and countless scholars who were oppressed by powerful families.

Similarly, the Manchus wanted to destroy the Chinese language and characters, they dreamed of it, but they dared not and could not.

The reason they dared not was that Confucian scholars would rebel. Even the most ordinary scholar had some reputation in the local area and could quickly gather dozens of soldiers in the countryside, while the Manchu Eight Banners only had a few people.

As for why it couldn't, it's because Manchu is fundamentally a hodgepodge, ineffective for the court's administration, rendering any decrees meaningless, and utterly incapable of replacing Chinese characters.

Even so, Liu Mu still did not want to give up. If he continued to govern the people by Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, then he, Liu Mu, would have come for nothing. Even if he unified Eurasia and became a great empire, it would only be a flash in the pan.

Thinking of this, Liu Mu drew his Emperor's Sword.

"Gentlemen, with the ruler and his subjects of one mind, what is there to fear?"

"However, I am not a reckless person. After I march south and destroy the Qing, it shouldn't be difficult to act accordingly!"

call...

Hearing that Liu Mu had a plan, the ministers all breathed a sigh of relief. What ministers fear most is that the emperor really thinks he is omnipotent and always acts arbitrarily, ultimately leading to the destruction of the country and the death of the emperor. So they shouted in unison.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

At this moment, Li Zheng also took out an account book.

"Your Majesty, the Datong arsenal has stockpiled fifty 3,000-jin (1,500 kg) Hongyi cannons, fifty 1,000-jin (5,000 kg) Hongyi cannons, four hundred 500-jin (250 kg) Hongyi cannons, and thirty thousand new flintlock muskets. As for the Flying Thunder Cannons, production has ceased and been replaced by the production of Heaven-Shaking Thunderbolts. There are eight thousand two-jin (1 kg) rounds and three thousand five-jin (1,500 kg) rounds in stock, which is sufficient to equip the Beijing garrison!"

"Moreover, the shipment began in batches eight days ago when I set out, and it is expected that all of them will arrive in the capital and be stored in the warehouse before New Year's Day!"

So many firearms?

This only supplies the 50,000 troops in the capital. Wang Fuchen, Zhao Yingkui, and Zhao Liangdong, who together have a total of 100,000 troops, are also given priority in the supply. Even if firearms do not account for such a large proportion, it is still a considerable amount.

The Datong military factory is really impressive!

We must head south!

With this capability, what are we waiting for!

If Emperor Kangxi were to also sell out the country and sell the south to the British or Dutch, it would be a losing proposition.

As the Minister of War, Zhou Peigong immediately stepped forward and began to clarify the military situation for Liu Mu.

"Your Majesty, the troops of the three marquises, Zhao Liangdong, Wang Fuchen, and Zhao Yingkui, have been fully armed two months ago, with a configuration of 8,000 cavalry, 5,000 musketeers, 15,000 close combat infantry, 10 thousand-pound cannons, and 30 five-hundred-pound cannons."

"Furthermore, all 100,000 soldiers of this army have been registered in the garrison system and allocated corresponding land; their morale is currently at its peak!"

Liu Mu was also surprised to hear this. With the addition of the 56,000 troops of the capital garrison, the Han Dynasty had unknowingly amassed 150,000 elite troops of the time, although the proportion of firearms was certainly not comparable to that of France at that time.

However, in China, firearms were never the key to victory, because the terrain was more complex, and the competition was more about the command ability of the generals.

Moreover, this configuration is already far superior to that of the Eight Banners and Wu Sangui, so there is no need to blindly increase the firearm rate. There are many other good things to do with the money saved.

Liu Mu was now full of confidence. With a bang, he slammed his hand on the table and narrowed his eyes into slits.

"Issue orders to Wang Fuchen in Hanzhong and Zhao Yingkui in Pingyang Prefecture: I will personally lead an expedition against the Manchus after New Year's Day. Order them to prepare a large army and not to attack Wu Sangui without my decree!"

"Zhou Peigong, you are in charge of supplying the army with provisions along the way. Li Guangdi, you are in charge of procuring laborers for the southward journey. Ouyang Jing, you are in charge of overseeing the central command. Everyone else, please do your own work and do not neglect your duties!"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately cupped their hands in greeting.

"Your Majesty, we receive the imperial decree!"

Only Ouyang Jing stared wide-eyed. How could this person be sitting in the central government? If the emperor were to designate a crown prince, this person would be a regent, holding a position above other civil officials.

After giving the order, Liu Mu strode away. He chose Ouyang Jing because he had some abilities that seemed ordinary, but only the ordinary would rely on the emperor.

Loyal ministers and traitors are never judged by appearances alone.

It's not about whether they have the ability to rebel.

……

The news that Liu Mu was going to personally lead an expedition against the Manchus spread throughout Beijing the next day. People in the city and surrounding areas spread the news and some even lit firecrackers in advance to celebrate the emperor's expedition.

As for how the news got out.

They were naturally from the Imperial City Guard.

Because Liu Mu never intended to hide it. In today's China, fighting the Manchus was politically correct, and it had to be widely publicized so that people all over the country would know.

Public opinion is extremely important.

……

Time flies, and it was 1675 AD, the first day of the first month of the Han Dynasty, 1876.

It was barely dawn when Zhou Hu, who had been transferred from Ningguta back to the Beijing garrison as a centurion, got up from his tent and put on the uniform of a chiliarch.

It was the dead of winter, and the winter clothes were very thick, made entirely of pure cotton without any added water.

Yes, both Zhou Hu and Ji Nanshou had commanded troops and had fought in large-scale battles, so after training in the Beijing garrison for a period of time, they were promoted to commanders of a thousand men.

Zhou Hu held the bugle and blew it in his battalion, then shouted towards the tents.

"Get out of bed, all of you, and get the hell out of there!"

"Today is His Majesty's rally for the upcoming campaign! Anyone who embarrasses me will be whipped to death with this little leather whip! Hurry up and get on it!"

Even after being trained by a regular army, Zhou Hu's江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) spirit remained unchanged.

However, no matter how many times he called out "father," the soldiers who came out didn't say anything. Instead, they all grinned, clearly showing that the officer and soldiers had a good relationship.

Zhou Hu's thousand men were cavalry. In addition to their military uniforms, each of them had a cloth armor on their horse, a long spear, and a saber.

When Zhou Hu arrived at the Jingying Square, he quickly found his garrison, led by a bearded adjutant who was already inspecting the troops.

Once the 1,000 cavalry, 3,000 musketeers, 1,000 spearmen and shieldmen, and 50 cannons had all arrived, the bearded adjutant immediately gave the order.

"Let's go, destination: Yongdingmen!"