Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 578 Easily Defeating 20 Rebels
In the central army tent,
Li Yu stared at the logistics account book on the desk, his thoughts wandering.

A small middle-level employee of the intelligence agency actually dared to defend his boss in front of the emperor, and even took the initiative to avoid the olive branch extended by him and pretended to be stupid.

Not to mention the 18th century, even in the 21st century, such behavior is enough to illustrate the seriousness of the problem.

Doesn’t this person want to be successful?
What is he afraid of?
This is the emperor's tent. Not a word of the conversation here can be leaked out.

For the first time, Li Yu felt wary of Liu Qian's skills. He didn't expect that this guy could make the Intelligence Agency so impenetrable.

The Intelligence Agency is the sword of the empire.

But the sword is too sharp, and its owner can't use it well.

It seems that I have to find an opportunity to give the Intelligence Agency a warning. An independent kingdom is not desirable.

……

"Your Majesty, all the generals have arrived."

"Let's go to the meeting."

Inside the tent, many generals gathered.

The commander of the 6th Corps, Zhao Erhu, the commander of the 8th Corps, Li Xiaowu, and the commander of the 10th Corps, Liu Akun, were all dressed in military uniforms and stood in the front row.

The military meeting before the emperor lasted for half an hour.
Li Yu distributed combat missions to the 6th, 8th, and 10th Corps, as well as the 2nd Expeditionary Army.

The ragtag army under Hu Zhihuang was exhausted from the battles and had many sick soldiers, so they did not participate in the war this time and were responsible for public security tasks - supervising and deterring immigrants.

We must never allow millions of refugees to cause trouble along the Grand Canal and affect logistics.

This task is easy~
Hu Zhihuang knew that there was no possibility of large-scale riots by refugees. As long as they had porridge to drink, they would not rebel.

……

The Linqing-Dezhou area is particularly lively.

12 volunteers and 11 of their families gathered here and set up camps stretching for dozens of miles along the Grand Canal.

Compared with the neat and uniform Wu army, the rebel camp was quite shabby.

There are few tents, mostly shacks, in a chaotic and disorderly manner.

More than 20 people rely on the Grand Canal for drinking water, washing and excretion.

Smoky.

Of course, this is not exclusive to the rebels.

The people living along the coast did the same thing. This was an era of sanitary vacuum.

Linqing Prefecture City.

The eighteen leaders of the rebel army gathered together to discuss important matters.

As usual, we talked while eating.

The leaders had to drink and eat meat every day. If they didn’t eat meat one day, their life would be in vain.

……

The leader of the alliance is Pan Jiujin, the leader of the Cao Gang.

He was able to hold on to this position because he had a navy under his command that was converted from grain boats, and his men were familiar with the Grand Canal.

At this time, he said loudly:
"Everyone, Wu Ting has issued a letter of challenge to us."

The leader of the Red Spear Society slammed the table:
"What's there to be afraid of? At worst, I can fight Wu Jun. Since I dare to kill the Qing army, I dare to kill Wu Jun."

The leader of the Han army in Weishan Lake asked:

"Didn't the emperor promise me a high position?"

The companion next to him chuckled:
"You still want to be an official? They issued a declaration of war, not a letter of appointment."

This sentence angered everyone. The tables were slammed loudly and everyone felt extremely humiliated.

……

Pan Jiujin was also quite annoyed.

Just yesterday,

The confidant he sent to contact the Northern Expedition Army came back, looking dusty and embarrassed, and told himself:
"Emperor Wu ignored the request for amnesty and, on the contrary, received two bullet butts."

Pan Jiujin tossed and turned all night, he couldn't understand why he was treated like this.

Unlike others, as the leader of the Cao Gang, an organization supporting the government, he understood politics.

I worked so hard to put together such a coalition army just to have more bargaining chips when I was recruited.

During the change of dynasties, anyone with troops who surrendered voluntarily would be treated favorably. Even if they were not given important positions, they would at least be rewarded with a high salary and an honorary position to win over the people.

Although I am not as strong as you, I have more people.

Although my guns are not as good as yours, I have more people.

For the sake of hundreds of thousands of people, couldn't the emperor at least appoint him as the prefect of Dezhou when recruiting him?

This is how it has been played in every dynasty.

If you want to be an official, you must first be a bandit.

If you want to be an official, you must first rebel.

Who the hell is Emperor Wu? Does he understand justice?
……

"Master Pan, what do you think we should do?"

"beat!"

"Good!" Everyone stood up and cheered.

For such an important decision, three major issues need to be made clear.

The crowd argued for two days about how to fight, and read Romance of the Three Kingdoms many times during that time.

Finally decided to reply to Emperor Wu.

It was agreed that the decisive battle would take place in Qinghe County 10 days later.

No one could have imagined that Leader Pan sent another letter to Yanjing requesting for amnesty. He believed that although the Qing court was already on the verge of extinction, it was still the second largest force in the world.

Leader Pan wants to be Wu Sangui.

He hoped that the Qing government would send cavalry south so that the two sides could join forces and engage in a decisive battle with Wu's army.

He never thought that his letter would have the opposite effect when it arrived at the Forbidden City.
……

Zhili, Jizhou Prefecture, Qinghe County.

A small northern county with a romantic atmosphere, famous for the story of Pan Jinlian and Ximen Qing.

Inside the county town, there was a sea of ​​soldiers and an ocean of swords and spears.

The eighteen rebel armies moved here day and night, preparing for a decisive battle.

In the eyes of the Wu army scouts, it was hard to understand who gave these rebels the courage? Confucius? Laozi? Or Gouzi?
Shouldn't the weaker party move around to avoid a decisive battle?
Can't figure it out.

But it doesn’t matter, I’ll accomplish my goal in one go.

The Wu Army's 6th Corps advanced northward along the east bank of the Qingliang River, and the 10th Corps advanced along the west bank of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, launching a pincer attack.

Qinghe County is located right between the Qingliang River and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.

……

The Guards Corps marched in the center, at a slightly slower pace for two days.

The 8th Corps, with the support of its own fleet, crossed the Grand Canal and marched to the east, with its destination being Dezhou, which occupied the rear.

Block the enemy's retreat route.

This arrangement was based on intelligence from three parties: scouts, spies from the Intelligence Agency, and the gentry in Zhili.

The rebels were completely in the dark.

Wu Jun used the tentacles of various parties to completely dispel the fog of war.

Cars rattled and horses rustled.

Li Yu rode a warhorse with a scarf wrapped around his face to block the dust.

Looking around, the vast plain stretches as far as the eye can see, and it is bare everywhere without a trace of green.

The white is snow, and the yellow is soil.

Apart from this, there is no third color in the Central Plains.

Bones are exposed in the wild.

Even though I am cold and rational, I couldn't help but sigh:

"Life is in ruins~"

……

After setting up camp,
The guards brought a stack of letters of persuasion and surrender from the gentry of Zhili and Shandong.

In the letter, they denounced the brutality of the rebel army and requested Emperor Wu to quickly proclaim himself emperor and restore order.

Li Yu was too lazy to read the letters and had them thrown into the fire.

The Northern Expedition was just a cover, and a major purpose was to eliminate local forces. If the war did not achieve the goal, then other methods would be used to achieve it.

We want both their land and their lives.

Li Yu noticed that there was no surrender letter from Duke Yansheng.

Yeah.

Less controversy.

Since Duke Yansheng followed the Qing court, he could legitimately confiscate more than 100 million acres of land from the Confucius Mansion and erase all traces that should be erased.

……

Two days later, the decisive battle began.

The sun was shining, the breeze was cool, the earth was grim, and the two armies were gathering.

It is hard to say whether it was Hu Zhihuang's retreat that gave the mob great courage, or it was Emperor Wu's arrogant behavior that angered the mob.

They arrogantly chose a decisive battle!
The Wu army's formation is as follows:

The Guards Corps was in the center, the 6th Corps was on the left, and the 10th Corps was on the right.

The 2nd Expeditionary Army was in the front, with more than square formations of different sizes arranged in an orderly manner.

Silence, extreme silence.

The silence of the Wu army made the noisy and chaotic rebel army somewhat uneasy, and many people felt regretful.

The drums sounded on the Qinghe County wall~
The leader of the alliance, Pan Jiujin, wore cotton armor and held a sword.

"The first 10,000-man team, go ahead."

……

In the sound of drums,
More than 8000 rebel infantrymen shouted and charged forward following their headquarters' flags. Just after they had charged out for half a mile, the ranks began to become chaotic.

But in a group,

These infantrymen only felt full of strength and confidence!
The Second Expeditionary Army in front of them was in a commotion, many of whom were from Xiangxi.

As a complex line-filling corps, the 2nd Expeditionary Corps accepted the reality after undergoing brutal formation training and lessons of blood and fire, and was willing to serve as the claws of the Wu army.

It's like training a hawk, either you bow your head or you die.

Wu Ting had a lot of experience and was very familiar with how to organize and dispatch soldiers.

"Put down the armor."

"Prepare for battle."

Following the officer's order, the 1000 people at the front all put down their iron masks and turned themselves into cold armored warriors.

The armor of the 3000 men at the back was slightly inferior.

Wearing cotton armor and the first generation of plate armor that was discarded by the predecessor 1st Expeditionary Legion.

……

On the city wall of Qinghe County, the leaders of the rebel army were discussing the matter.

"The Wu army has too many artillery pieces."

"really?"

"what?"

"If it wasn't fake, why didn't they put the cannons at the front of the formation? Why didn't they fire?"

Everyone was chatting excitedly.

The leader Pan Jiujin pretended to be calm, turned his head, and said to the leader of the White Lotus Army, Zheng Chunshou, with a pleasant face:

"Captain Zheng, the enemy's army is well-organized."

"I'd like you to lead our cavalry and the rest of the coalition forces and prepare to attack."

Zheng Chunshou pulled him aside and whispered:
"Alliance leader, do you think we have a chance of winning?"

"Chief Zheng, you must not lose heart before the battle. You are still young and may become a local lord in the future. Among the eighteen leaders, I, Pan, am most optimistic about you."

……

Zheng Chunshou was helpless and whispered:
"Alliance leader, can you use your ships to send my cavalry behind the Wu army?"

"what?"

"confident?"

"Try it."

Pan Jiujin stared at Zheng Chunshou with slightly red eyes.

"please."

"Don't worry, leader. But you can't stop the frontal attack. You must contain the Wu army. Only then will I have a chance of winning."

"Don't worry." Pan Jiujin raised his right hand. "I swear to the three ancestors of Luo Sect that I will not stop attacking. If all the people die, I will fill the gap myself."

Zheng Chunshou bowed and hurried down the city wall.

There are dozens of large grain ships moored at Youfang Wharf on the east side of Qinghe County.

Zheng Chunshou also had selfish motives.

He went around to attack the rear of the Wu army. If there was hope of winning, he would attack with all his strength. If he could not win, he could flee southward.

If you can't beat it, run away.

After experiencing what happened to Bai Lian, he became more cautious.

……

The two sides finally fought.

The Wu army's artillery was silent, and the three legions stared ahead silently.

The dispatched legion, fully armored from head to knee, with neat formations and cold spears, marched to the beat of drums to meet the rebel infantry.

This is not war, this is massacre.

The soldiers walking in the front row thrust their spears forward, screaming as the enemy's blood sprayed on their masks and armor.

Push all the way.

It was a crushing victory, a killing spree.

At this moment, the soldiers also had a question in their minds: How dare you fight a decisive battle?

……

"Alliance leader, I can't hold on any longer."

"Go! Everyone, come forward! Brothers, fight side by side and kill fiercely."

If there were any Qing army generals present, they would certainly feel that this mob suffered the loss because they had never fought against the Wu army.

At this moment, the most wise military order is:

"The whole army should retreat, throw away their weapons and armor, and run away."

In this way, at least one-tenth of the troops can be preserved.

The drums beat vigorously.

5000 infantrymen, mainly from Cangzhou, were sent as the first reinforcement. This unit was quite powerful, mainly because there were many people practicing martial arts in Cangzhou.

now,

Pan Jiujin suddenly realized that the Bai Lian boy was no simple man. Now he could only hope that he would lead the cavalry to carry out a beautiful attack from behind.

Don't seek to win, but at least don't seek to win or lose.

……

As soon as the Cangzhou Army set out, it attracted the attention of Liu Akun, commander of the 10th Corps on the right.

He smiled and said:
"A group of practitioners have arrived."

After saying that, he threw the telescope to the captain of the 1st Infantry Regiment beside him.

"The command of the legion has been transferred to you. I am going to charge into the battle."

"Commander, no~"

"What's wrong?"

"You are ordered by His Majesty to serve as acting commander. You must not leave your post without permission."

Liu Akun checked the armor and weapons and said with a smile:
"I understand your majesty's thoughts. I am not good at being a general, but no one is better than me as a warrior."

After saying this, he rode out of the camp on his horse.

Without a second's hesitation, the 20 elite guards sent by Liu Zhen immediately rode their horses to catch up with their master, their weapons sharp and sharp.

……

Li Yu noticed this scene, turned the telescope and saw Liu Akun charging on horseback with a copper stick in hand.

He frowned and said:
"The general offensive begins."

After a few dozen breaths,

Intensive artillery fire rang out on the left wing, and solid bullets fell into the infantry formation of the Cangzhou Army.

The commander of the 6th Corps, Zhao Erhu, ordered four infantry battalions to escort two mortar companies away from the main camp and intercept the enemy head-on.

The muskets were arranged neatly, and the mortars in front were lined up in a row.

Guns fired.

……

The 10th Corps on the right wing did not even launch an artillery bombardment, but instead sent out three light infantry battalions to trot into the battlefield and confronted a musket unit of about 3 Rebels who were lined up.

One side's army formation is loose and sparse, with a short range and no sense of aiming.

One side has a compact and dense array, a long range, and is accustomed to aiming.

The two armies fired muskets at each other from a distance of 30 feet.

The Wu army fought three rounds, while the rebel army only fought one round.

The heavy cannons of the Guards Corps also joined in.

At a high angle, a row of 12-pound solid bullets flew over the heads of the expeditionary soldiers and fell into the rebel army farther away, plowing open a corridor of flesh and blood.

……

The rebels were just a group of farmers. They had never seen such terrible and precise artillery fire, and they collapsed across the board.

Thousands of people threw away their weapons and fled north.

Zheng Chunshou, who had just boarded the ship, was also dumbfounded.

He looked at the rebels running wildly on the shore, gritted his teeth, and grabbed the captain:

"Cross the river. Just get us to the east side of the Grand Canal and it will be none of your business."

However, he still underestimated Wu Jun's control over the battlefield.

The spacious canal surface,
Four flat-bottomed, iron-ribbed, wooden-hulled single-masted gunboats of the Wu army came over. They had not raised their sails, but were powered by the rowers at the rear and were moving at a very high speed.

The 2-pound gun at the bow fired first.

A shell landed on the nearby water surface, and the column of water splashed all over Zheng Chunshou.

(End of this chapter)