Great Qing Dynasty talker

Spring 1781.

In accordance with the imperial order, Army Minister Lin Huaisheng commanded most of the 1st, 3rd, and 8th Corps, the Light Cavalry Corps, and the 2nd Expeditionary Corps, a total of 38000 people, to conquer the northwest.

10 laborers, 6 large livestock, and countless carts were conscripted.

The vanguard of the 1st Corps marched along the Wei River into Fengxiang Prefecture and easily captured Baoji County on the banks of the Wei River as a logistics hub.

……

"Marshal Lin, please look at the map."

"I have circled in red the areas in the northwestern provinces where letters of surrender have been sent."

On the map,
Central and northern Shaanxi, northeastern Gansu, and the Mongolian grasslands are all within the red circle.

The staff officer continued:

"We believe that we should first conquer the surrendered areas in Shaanxi and resettle the surrendered soldiers and officials according to the established rules. After that, we will attack Long County."

Lin Huaisheng nodded.

The staff officer continued:
"Because the hatred between the Manchus and the Mongols is deep, the Alxa Eleuth Banner, the Ejina Torghut Banner, and the Ikh Ju League are all willing to surrender. However, the terms of surrender are still controversial."

Lin Huaisheng finally spoke:

"Tell them that the leaders of each tribe will go to Suzhou Prefecture to pay their respects to His Majesty and ask for extra grace. My Western Expedition Army is only concerned with conquering cities and territories, and will not bargain with anyone."

"Yes."

……

The staff officer continued:

"According to scouts, the resistance forces in Gansu and Qinghai provinces have joined forces with the stubborn forces in Shaanxi, built fortresses, forged weapons, and adopted an attitude of resisting to the end."

"They are a complex group, including former Qing Dynasty Green Camp, local tyrants, and local clans. They created a Western Liang Kingdom and established Lanzhou as its capital."

Lin Huaisheng nodded:

"That's a good thing, it makes it easier to catch them all in one fell swoop!"

"As ordered."

All the officers stood up in unison and accepted the order.

The members of this "Western Liang Kingdom" that emerged after the collapse of the Qing Dynasty were absolutely die-hards.

There is no such thing as persuading surrender, let alone appeasement.

Kill them all at once to avoid endless trouble.

Therefore,
Marshal Lin’s “It’s a good thing” truly came from the bottom of his heart.

There is reason to suspect that His Majesty deliberately left this year for the rebellion to ferment. It is better for the abscess to burst out.

……

News of surrender came in from various places.

The 3rd Corps stationed in Taiyuan crossed the border between the two provinces, crossed the Yellow River, and generally smoothly took over Yulin Prefecture, Yan'an Prefecture, Tongzhou Prefecture, and Suide Prefecture.

From a military geography perspective, it is very difficult for Shanxi to attack Shaanxi.

Whether it was Zhao's battle against Qin during the Warring States Period or the Japanese invasion of northern Shaanxi in the 20th century, they all ended in failure.

The Yellow River is the boundary river between two provinces, and there are few roads at the border passes, the terrain is rugged, and supplies are extremely difficult to obtain.

The Shanxi army must be at least five times stronger than the Shaanxi army in order to attract the attention of its neighbors.

There is a reason why the prefectures in Shaanxi are obedient and well-behaved today.

Wu's army controlled Xi'an Prefecture, and the factor of forming a pincer attack accounted for at most 3%, and the factor of the demise of the Qing Dynasty accounted for only 2%.

The remaining 5% is due to fear.

……

After Lin Huaisheng captured Xi'an, he turned into a killing god.

Revenge both public and private vengeances.

The public grudge was that Xi'an captured and killed spies from the Intelligence Bureau, threatened to resolutely resist the Wu army, and was guilty of transferring supplies for Yongyan's western hunting.

The personal grudge was that before Lin Huaisheng joined Li Yu, he had run a caravan in the upper reaches of the Yellow River for several years and had many grudges.

Once you have power, take revenge in time.

Soldiers from the Eight Banners, Green Camp, able-bodied men from the upper city, officials and gentry, even clerks, idlers, and jailers were not spared and were all driven to the banks of the Wei River.

……

The executions lasted for four days.

The prisoners dug pits under gunpoint, carried away the bodies of their companions and buried them.

Then he was driven to the execution ground and buried by the next group of people.

Along the banks of the Wei River, there was constant sound of gunfire.

On the banks of the Wei River, the river beach is scarlet red.

The new recruits are responsible for shooting, and the surrendered soldiers are responsible for beheading.

The brutality of the killing was chilling.

The whole city of Xi'an was dead silent, and the people walked along the walls when they went out. Lin Huaisheng's name could stop a child from crying.

……

Under the remaining influence, the diehards fled westwards and took refuge in the Western Liang Kingdom.

All parts of Shaanxi opened their gates to surrender.

if not,

If Lin Huaisheng comes, I’m afraid the 500-mile Yellow River water will turn red.

Half a month later,

The three armies of the Western Expedition began to advance westward.

The northernmost route was the Light Cavalry Corps and the 8th Corps, led by Wu Simai as commander-in-chief and Li Xiaowu, commander of the 8th Corps, as deputy commander.

They have two tasks:

First, sweep the Ningxia Plain. Second, subdue the various Mongolian tribes.

Wu Simai was in high spirits and recited poems along the way.

Feeling the wind from the grassland, eating dried meat produced from the grassland, riding the horse sent by the grassland, and looking at familiar big faces.

He collected 5000 good horses from various tribes on the grassland and finally got rid of the dilemma of horse shortage.

The light cavalry corps, which had the highest illiteracy rate, galloped ahead with their swords sharp as a knife.

The 8th Legion followed slowly behind, dragging their cannons. If the cavalry encountered a fortified city, the infantry would take action and knock it down with cannons.

……

The middle group was the 3rd Corps, led by the relative of the emperor Wei Jun, which marched through Shaanxi along the river valley and captured Pingliang Prefecture in Gansu.

Then continue west.

They joined the 1st Army led by Lin Huaisheng and the 2nd Expeditionary Army on the southernmost route.

The Western Route Army's offensive route was very clear.

Sometimes they dispersed, sometimes they merged, and gradually occupied Shaanxi and Gansu.

Eventually, they captured Lanzhou and destroyed the newly born Western Liang Kingdom.

……

Fengxiang Prefecture, Long County, Shaanxi Province.

Although it is a small county, it is not simple.

Qin Shihuang's carriage once toured here, Zhang Qian passed through here on his diplomatic mission, and Tang Monk passed through here on his pilgrimage to seek Buddhist scriptures.

In a word,

Long County is a lock between Shaanxi and Gansu.

The flag of Xiliang Kingdom was flying on the city wall.

There were no civilians left in the city, only soldiers.

Those wearing green battalion uniforms are officers, and those wearing civilian clothes are soldiers.

The commander of the troops, Ma Qingshi, was originally a guerrilla in the Green Camp of Shaanxi and Gansu during the Qing Dynasty. He was brave and good at fighting, and is now the governor of Shaanxi in the Western Liang Kingdom.

"Sir, the Wu army is here."

"Where are you?"

"Caobi Town."

"Tell the brothers, this is the first battle between our Xiliang Army and Wu Army. Don't be afraid of death, fight hard."

"Whoo."

……

Caobi Town is a simple town on the banks of the Gan River.

The adobe house collapsed and showed signs of burning.

The well is covered with adobe and stones. If it is dug up, you might find dead animals inside.

A large number of Wu troops passed through the town.

The artillery cart was pulled by animals, rumbling forward.

Lin Huaisheng suddenly said:
"Coming."

A guard whispered:

"Yes, another 10 miles and we'll reach Long County."

"Ah."

He didn't know that the taciturn Marshal Lin was very familiar with this area, and the road under his feet was one of the routes that the Northwestern horse caravans must take to enter Shaanxi.

……

The river was dry and freezing cold.

There are still traces of snow on the top of the distant mountain.

The excavations inside and outside Long County look like the surface of the moon.

2000 Xiliang supporters, armed with various weapons, were ready to fight. They were not fighting for the Qing Dynasty, but for themselves.

It says above:

"Western Liang has established a nation. From now on, the people of Northwest China will have the final say on matters of their own. We will not accept blackmail from the Central Plains dynasty."

The prospects are bright and the soldiers are full of fighting spirit.

……

The Wu army did not hold back from the very beginning, unloading their cannons and bombarding at close range.

A closed stone and wooden barrier could not withstand the bombardment and half collapsed, and a dozen musketeers were buried under the ruins without firing a single shot.

The rest of the fortifications suffered a similar fate. Seeing that the surface defense buildings were basically destroyed, the Wu army infantry crossed the artillery and began to attack.

Among the ruins.

A man suddenly showed his head and held out a musket.

bang~
Three feet away, a Wu soldier fell to the ground, his coat soaked with blood.

The rest of the soldiers immediately rushed to the corner where the gunpowder smoke had not yet dissipated.

……

"Come on, sir."

A man in a gray cotton jacket jumped out of the corner and rushed over with a big knife in hand.

Three Wu army soldiers in coats pulled the trigger in unison.

The man fell to the ground amid the gunfire.

A soldier walked over and, following the instructions of the Infantry Manual, pierced the body with a bayonet to ensure that the death was not faked.

He reloaded on the spot.

When it came to the stage of compacting the soil with the rod, they suddenly discovered that the soil under the ruins not far away was slightly bulging, and someone was buried underneath!
He walked over quietly until he saw a pair of hands reaching out from under the rubble.

A fierce stab!
Thrust back and forth.

The blood soaked the loess.

He stabbed the limp hands with his bayonet again, making sure the person was dead, and then continued forward.

……

In Long County, the city walls are stained with blood.

The Xiliang army was suppressed by the artillery fire and could not raise their heads, and they retreated down the city wall one after another.

Ma Qing wields his saber ten times:

"Retreat to the street of the county government office and ambush. Hide well. Do not attack until you hear my suona begin to play!"

"We're fighting with the bastards."

"Hurry up."

More than 1000 remaining soldiers retreated from the city wall in a panic and ran to the street where the county government office was located.

In the house, under the wall, in the haystack.

After the men hid themselves, they stopped making any sound.

……

The sound of artillery gradually died down.

The 2nd Expeditionary Corps climbed up the city wall using ladders and opened the city gate.

The flag was planted on the battlement, and then the army waved its hands and shouted:
"No one is left."

Lin Huaisheng immediately urged his horse forward, as he felt something was strange.

"Scout, go check behind Long County to see if there are any defeated soldiers escaping out of the city."

"Quick, report to me quickly."

The five riders galloped around the city and then galloped back.

Shouting:

"No one outside the city!"

……

Lin Huaisheng sneered, turned around and ordered:

"Tell the soldiers entering the city that the enemy is preparing to ambush us inside the city."

"Send the soldiers into the city."

Streets near the county government office.

Ma Qingshi hid in a haystack and listened attentively.

Time passed by minute by minute, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

The large group of people were approaching in a uniform pace, stamping their feet vigorously. This made him a little nervous, and he felt something was wrong.

The Xiliang troops stationed in Long County were all die-hards and were not afraid of hand-to-hand combat. As long as they could rush into the Wu army, the Wu army's firearms would become fire sticks.

He prayed silently:
“May our ancestors bless you.”

……

At the street corner, the dispatched soldiers observed their surroundings through their masks.

Unclear vision~
Silence is weird and unusual.

Everyone silently grasped their weapons, ready to fight.

Entering the city was not a field battle, and the soldiers would not use spears. Instead, they carried broadswords, copper bone clubs, and maces according to their habits.

Inside the haystack.

Ma Qingmu looked at the group of cold soldiers and his blood turned cold instantly.

He entered the yard through the gap in the wall and spoke to everyone in a low voice:
"They have heavy armor, try to switch to blunt weapons."

……

Just as the soldiers in plate armor kicked open the door of the county government office, a sharp suona sounded nearby.

Suona is the command.

"Kill!"

The massive Xiliang army rushed out from the walls, doors, haystacks, and from all directions.

The 300 soldiers were startled. They looked at the unarmored enemies through the gaps in their masks and were instantly overjoyed.

ambush?

Looking for death!
In an instant, the street turned into a slaughterhouse.

Wearing heavy armor, how can a mere courage and bravery defeat him?
The soldiers turned into gods of death, not dodging or evading, wielding their weapons and killing people in all directions.

No formation, no cooperation.

Just chopped them down row by row roughly.

It was like a wooden comb combing through the black hair, and the lice fell to the ground one after another.

The soldiers' eyes behind their masks flashed with bloodthirsty light. This was not a war, but a group of butchers slaughtering a group of livestock.

……

When the musketeers arrived, they could hardly hold back their vomiting.

There was no place to step from one end of the street to the other.

The soldiers walked in groups of three or five, stepping on the blood and flesh, inspecting the battlefield, and occasionally swinging their swords to chop down.
The blood splattered on the walls on both sides of the street slowly flowed down.

A new recruit looked down and saw that his boots were covered with blood, and he vomited instantly.

Many people vomited.

no way,
Most of the Wu army's field corps were supplemented with new soldiers. The psychological gap between new soldiers and old soldiers was like the difference between a girl and a woman.

……

Lin Huaisheng rode by on horseback, frowning slightly.

Then he ordered:

"Clear the battlefield and search for prisoners."

Long County was conquered.

In the face of absolute strength, the bloodiness of the Xiliang Army is not worth mentioning.

Lin Huaisheng watched the interrogation process in person.

As the Minister of War, he naturally couldn't do the job of a jailer. He just listened and watched silently.

The interrogation was brutal.

Mainly, I want to know more about the inside story of Xiliang Kingdom.

The prisoners were very stubborn and kept cursing.
Because the commander-in-chief was present, the soldiers felt it was humiliating to be insulted by the prisoners, so they borrowed saws, pliers, hammers, and nails from the baggage camp and temporarily persuaded two Mongolian doctors.

Inside the tent, blood and flesh were flying everywhere.

Finally got some information.

Lin Huaisheng did not show much emotional fluctuation from beginning to end.

I even completed a 500-word essay on the battlefield as a response to His Majesty's exhortation to read.

……

5 days later,

He joined forces with Wei Jun's 3rd Corps.

As the army moved forward, the scenery became increasingly desolate.

It was dry, barren, bleak and lifeless, and the occasional villages we encountered along the way were poorer than we could imagine.

Even the honest man Wei Jun couldn't help but mutter:
"Compared to this, Qingyue Village is a paradise on earth."

Lin Huaisheng was very interested, he wanted to go back to the path of a swordsman.

In the past, there were more than a dozen knives.

Now, there are tens of thousands of knives.

This feeling is naturally different.

……

Halfway through the journey, he suddenly rode away from the group.

A mile away from the road, he found the mark he had made many years ago. After digging up the dead tree stump, he found a short knife, a string of copper coins, and a piece of floral cloth.
Looking at the emotional Marshal Lin.

The guards looked at each other, put their hands on the hilts of their swords and pretended not to see anything.

In short, there must be a story.

The army trudged all the way to Guyuan city, where they encountered stubborn resistance from the Xiliang army.

Familiar process, familiar recipe.

There was just a sudden attack by a group of Xiliang unarmored archers and an unsuccessful night attack.

Faced with the absolute advantage of Wu army's weapons, their bravery and strategies were not worth mentioning. The only result was a few large pits covered with new soil outside the city.

……

When the logistics and food team arrived, there were several more wounded soldiers in the team.

The food inspector reported:
"I was ambushed 50 miles northwest of Long County. There were not many attackers, they were dressed in civilian clothes and ambushed the convoy with bows and arrows. I later repelled them~" (End of this chapter)