Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 642: One million Wu troops, sowing seeds along the way~
After the second accidental explosion in the picric acid explosives laboratory, the latest order came: Wolfe's team did not have to follow the emperor's carriage, but could lag behind by dozens of miles.

Since then, Wolfe has become famous.

There were explosions everywhere I went, and I was burying my apprentice's new graves along the way.

Later, the young apprentices all quit and refused to work there even for a monthly salary of 10 taels.

Wolfe didn't care and disbanded the team on the spot and recruited new people.

Panic cannot be inherited and must be eliminated.

The new round of young apprentices continue to devote their lives to their masters and to science with great enthusiasm.

When the imperial carriage advanced to Xi'an, Wolfe's picric acid explosives finally took shape.

……

At present, the empire is in urgent need of breakthroughs in the field of chemistry, which is precisely the shortcoming of local talents.

Therefore, we need to recruit more foreign chemists.

In a letter, Li Yu instructed the Chinese ambassador to Europe, Jia Xiaozhen, that if possible, he should rescue more talented people in the field of chemistry from the Paris prisons, especially Lavoisier.

If Lavoisier has been executed, send back his head.

Li Yu cleared a piece of land on Shangfang Mountain and built the "Tomb of Sages". Now two people have moved in, one named Voltaire and the other named Franklin.

Anyone who lives in the tomb of the sage can get a good lifetime salary in Jiangnan for his family and students (including mistresses).

……

The imperial carriage advanced 40 miles every day, neither fast nor slow.

On the road, Li Yu saw thousands of civilians going abroad to work, vassal troops from various countries, and four-wheeled baggage carts heading west along the newly built official road.

The Western Expedition was a grand event that spanned a long period of time and an even longer distance.

At this point, follow the plan.

The 8th Army should have entered the Orenburg area and started building bastions, repairing roads, and guarding settlements.

It is impossible for a million-strong army to be crowded together, as that would be a huge disaster for logistics. From a realistic perspective, the army will advance in alternating and leapfrogging ways.

This solution may seem clumsy, but it is actually reliable.

With a million troops on an expedition of thousands of miles, a surprise attack is impossible, and it is impossible to carry out a surprise attack. The march alone would take two or three years, and Europe cannot remain in the dark forever.

……

Frankly speaking,

There are huge risks behind the emperor's long absence from the capital.

However, letting his subjects lead millions of troops to fight abroad for a long time would pose a greater risk to the emperor.

Therefore,
Li Yu had to lead the battle personally.

He personally commanded an army of more than one million and achieved the greatest military achievement since Genghis Khan.

This achievement was so great that no minister was worthy of taking it upon himself.

The first credit must be attributed to oneself~
The ministers can only share the profits, and the stars surround the moon~
……

On the way, Li Yu redeployed the empire's military.

The 1st to 10th Field Corps have permanent bases in Jiangning, Xi'an, Xuzhou, Tainan, Guangzhou, Shengjing, Kunming, Wuchang, Chengdu, and Yili.

Before being mobilized, each field corps must obtain a handwritten order from both the Emperor and the Minister of the Army.

Afterwards, the commander can only order the mobilization of the corps after presenting two warrants on the spot to no less than 10 senior officers and staff in the corps.

If the procedures are incomplete or the transfer is made without authorization, it will be regarded as treason.

And two regiments must be left behind at the garrison.

……

From now on, the empire's field armies will have fixed stations and fixed organizations.

However, the number of independent infantry regiments can be increased or decreased at any time depending on the defense situation.

The service period for ordinary soldiers in field corps is 5 to 20 years, and the service period for soldiers in independent infantry regiments is 3 to 5 years.

Independent infantry regiments are strictly limited in their heavy weapons, and in principle are equipped with no more than three artillery pieces. In wartime, they are temporarily incorporated into the field corps and accept its command.

All provincial capitals of the empire have an independent infantry regiment permanently stationed, which is commanded by the provincial governor and rotated every five years.

……

Seriously speaking, in the 18th and 19th centuries, the combat effectiveness of an army did not depend on ordinary soldiers, and soldiers were of little significance.

Excellent officers, complete industry and logistics system are the key.

Therefore, Li Yu personally drafted the following regulations:
Army officers above the rank of warrant officer (and above the rank of artillery non-commissioned officer) shall have a service period of no less than 10 years and shall receive a fixed annual salary increase of 2%.

For naval officers and above, the service period must not be less than 10 years and the salary will be increased by 3% every year.

Anyone who has served for more than 20 years, regardless of military rank, can receive % of his salary as a lifetime pension after retirement (paid by the Royal Asset Management Company).

The empire encouraged the sons and daughters of military officers to follow in their father's footsteps.

The empire encouraged the sons of nobles to lead troops into war.

……

The whole world was becoming increasingly tense, and the trade volume between Wu and European countries fell to the bottom, approaching freezing point.

The Port of Guangzhou is no longer as bustling as it once was, and the number of ships entering the port has dropped by more than half.

However, the number of Citibank merchant ships entering the port increased significantly, and the Citibank merchants seemed a little uneasy and humble, often nodding and bowing.

Revealing the lack of confidence in one's bones!
Such a huge market is just open to Citi?
Richmond newspaper front page:

“A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cross the Pacific and embrace freedom.”

The plantation owners in the south were collectively excited and increased their planting areas one after another, exporting pre-processed cotton raw materials to the State of Wu.

……

The Wu State was also not idle. Textile associations in many provinces invested heavily in enclosing land in Central Asia to grow cotton.

It is impossible to transport it directly back to the South.

The high shipping costs would make cotton textiles ridiculously expensive.

All raw cotton is sent to Yili Prefecture after preliminary processing at the place of production.

It can be predicted that the entire Yili cotton spinning industry is about to usher in a huge boom.

Emperor Wu hinted that after the war, the court would fund the construction of a cotton transportation railway of about 1,000 miles to solve the transportation pain points.

……

The Tea Association is looking worried.

If porcelain is unsalable, you can still keep it in stock, but what about tea?
Li Yu also extended a helping hand. On the one hand, he called on the wealthy people in the empire to drink more tea, and on the other hand, he asked American businessmen to import more tea.

Every little solution helps.

All unsaleable tea leaves are turned into brick tea and smuggling routes are opened up.

Since I can't pass the customs normally.

Then just don't clear the customs, contact smugglers all over the world, and leave enough profits for them.

As long as the profit is big enough, there is no need to worry about no one being interested.

No one does business that loses money, but some people do business that can get them killed.

There are hundreds of kingdoms of all sizes in Europe, and there are no closed walls on the borders of each country.

There is a lot of potential in tea smuggling.

……

Summer 1793.

Another shocking news spread across Europe.

The Jacobins sent King Louis XVI and Queen Marie to the guillotine, and more than 300 nobles and more than 100 speculators to the gallows.

20 Parisians watched.

The revolutionary wave is more intense than ever before.

When the news reached London, George III was furious and cursed Berlin, the Habsburgs and St. Petersburg.

Last year, the Allied forces had reached within 150 miles of Paris.

As a result, the Frankish Army, with only one country against six, defeated the 25-strong coalition army, and then drove them away all the way, basically recovering the territory.

Although, the Royal Navy won a naval battle.

The Frankish navy was blocked in the harbor and dared not come out.

But what about the European continent?
The Netherlands can no longer withstand the pressure and is likely to withdraw from the coalition and make peace with Frank privately.

……

There is even worse news - Wu has declared war! It demands that all contracting parties compensate for all losses and restore the three major treaties~
In the newspapers, it received even more attention than the execution of the Louis couple.

Earl Jia wrote an article for publication, in which he criticized the countries for their lack of contractual spirit and their open violation of the three major treaties. He also criticized the monarchs of various countries for destroying the current favorable trade pattern for their own personal gain.

This is intolerable~
The world's only enlightened monarch, His Majesty the Emperor Wu, will launch an unprecedented expedition to enforce justice, punish the tyrannical monarchs and greedy nobles of various countries, and bring justice to all the peace-loving people on the European continent.

Lord Jia specifically emphasized that the expedition was not an invasion, but a defense of justice. …

This great article was reported by a very small newspaper, which printed tens of thousands of copies and sold out on the same day.
Immediately, the newspaper was closed down, and all the unemployed staff members boarded ships with their families to the State of Wu.

There was no fear of losing one's job, only joy that was beyond words.

There is a consensus in the news media: working for the State of Wu will make you a lot of money.

Don't underestimate this consensus. It is the reputation that the State of Wu spent more than ten years and countless money to build.

Not only in the press, but also in the business community, there were many people who secretly flattered Earl Jia and deliberately leaked information.

These people understand:

Today they are at war, but tomorrow they may be in peace. Fighting and making peace has been like this in Europe for hundreds of years. A man who knows the times is a hero. He can do good to Wu State and he will not go wrong.
……

Buckingham Palace.

George III summoned all members of North's cabinet.

"My dear ministers, is it possible that Emperor Wu supports the Paris mob?"

"Your Majesty, it's impossible, absolutely impossible. Emperor Wu is also a monarch, how could he support a group of mobs who killed the king~"

George III breathed a sigh of relief and asked the second question.

"Is the threat from Wu greater? Or is the threat from the Paris mob greater?"

The current Foreign Secretary, Viscount Staunton, answered this question.

"In the short term, Paris is a bigger threat. They set a bad example for the people. In the long term, Wu is a bigger threat. They drain our wealth, infiltrate our economy, and crush our spirit."

George III turned his head and stared at the depressed Prime Minister.

"What are you thinking?"

"Your Majesty, I was wondering, what is the East India Company doing now?"

……

Half a month later, the bad news came.

Commodore Nelson was killed in the battle, the fleet was almost destroyed, and the East India Company was surrounded and besieged from all sides.

The Netherlands, a fence-sitter, immediately announced its withdrawal from the alliance.

neutral!

Immediately, it was attacked from both sides by the Saxon Navy and the Frankish Army.

In just 10 days, the Netherlands announced its surrender.

The southern part of the country was under Frankish trusteeship, and the northern part was under Saxon trusteeship.

Earl Jia was forced to move again. This time he retreated directly to the Imperial Park on the outskirts of Vienna, where he was warmly welcomed by hundreds of park employees.

But before he could get his seat firmly, the Habsburgs declared him persona non grata.

Deportation
……

Having been in Europe for more than a decade and never suffered such a great humiliation, Earl Jia was furious and gave a famous speech on the streets of Vienna - "I will be back"

The Atlantic Trading Company declared bankruptcy, which directly smashed the hearts of all stock holders into the sea.

then,

He infiltrated Constantinople.

Sultan Selim was overjoyed and organized a grand welcoming ceremony in the city.

The defenders rejoice:

The empire's earl has arrived, so how far can the empire's army be?
Outside the city, 2 coalition troops stood by and watched. They were unable to launch an attack and could only wait and watch.

……

Sultan Selim and Count Jia signed a formal agreement.

The Ottoman Empire acknowledged that it would sell an area of ​​about 2000 square kilometers of land east of the Nile River and the northwest corner of the Sinai Peninsula to the Wu Kingdom for 100 million taels of silver, which could also be delivered in the form of arms.

Most of it is barren land.

Today, the Ottoman Empire is eager to bring in strong reinforcements to compete with Europe.

Sultan Selim even questioned Earl Jia why he mentioned the word "buy"?
We are brothers~
This land should be given away for free!
However, Lord Jia repeatedly stated that he had to pay.

The Sultan was so moved that his eyes filled with tears, thinking that this was the kindness of the Emperor Wu.

Actually,
He really misinterpreted Emperor Wu.

What Emperor Wu was thinking was that if he bought out the company with money, he would have a clean beginning and an end, so that there would be no trouble in the future and everyone would be shut up.

……

After 6 months,
The combined fleet escorted 100 ships to the Red Sea and began massive construction of the new city of Suez.

European shock ~
The Royal Navy's Mediterranean Fleet sent troops to monitor Port Said, fearing that Wu's army would get involved in the Mediterranean.

However, the advance team of the Wu army only built cities, cultivated land, and grazed livestock, with no signs of conducting any military operations.

The European continent was shrouded in gloom, and countries around the world were expanding their military forces and preparing for war.

Prussia expanded its standing army to 50 men.

Luosha expanded its army by one million in one go, even if it meant being heavily in debt.

Saxon quietly transferred warships from the American colonies to strengthen the defense of the mainland strait. Although the Admiralty had plans to launch an expedition to retake the South Asian subcontinent, it was rejected by the cabinet.

The storm is coming, with internal and external troubles, it is better to be stable.

……

1794.

The Jacobins were in internal strife, and their leader Robespierre tried to save the situation with more severe measures. He continued to physically eliminate different voices within the faction.

Assassinations, imprisonment, and various radical means emerge one after another.

It can be said that what Robespierre did was only half a step away from being a feudal sultan.

The citizens of Paris erupted again.

The Thermidorians within the Jacobins joined forces with the army to launch a coup, sent the crazy Robespierre to the guillotine, and then dissolved the National Convention.

Seeing the chaos within the Jacobins~
The Prussian and Habsburg armies took the lead in launching an offensive and entered Frank.

The Thermidorians called on all citizens to share the fruits of victory, and the strongest army in Europe once again staged a Jedi counterattack, forcing the intervention forces to retreat step by step.

The young Napoleon was promoted to colonel of artillery due to his military achievements.

……

The European continent is in a state of chaos.

Li Yu finally came~
More than one million Wu troops (most of them were vassal troops) passed through Yili and advanced westward in three groups at Astana.

Chinese can be heard everywhere along the way.

In order to ensure the logistics of the expedition, the empire's merchants mobilized 100 million farmers to enter the Western Regions to open up wasteland and grow crops, mobilized 200 million farmers to enter Central Asia to grow cotton, mobilized 100 million people to settle and mine along the Ob River, and mobilized 200 million farmers to follow the army to the Volga River.

They also mobilized 15 pack horses, 8 driving horses, 15 strong mules, and 30 cattle and sheep.

The road was filled with the sounds of people roaring and horses neighing, it was very lively.

On the shores of the Caspian Sea, wooden houses of migrant workers are dotted around, with smoke rising from their chimneys.

They are all seeds sown by Wu Jun~
Compared to war, sowing seeds is more meaningful. After ten or twenty years, these people will truly take root in the local area.

……

In fact, the slowness of the main force of the Wu army exceeded everyone's expectations, mainly because it took too much energy to build transit stations along the way and resettle civilians.

Take your time along the way.

However, the vanguard arrived two years ago.

They laid a good foundation for the army.

At this time, there were 45 steam warships and more than 500 unpowered tugboats quietly anchored in the Caspian Sea.

Li Yu stood on the beach and looked at the beautiful scenery.

A rider came galloping over, dismounted from his horse and handed over the military report.

Guards report:
"Your Majesty, Volgograd has been captured by our army."

"What are the casualties?"

"The vassal army suffered more than 4500 casualties, and our army suffered 200 casualties."

……

Li Yu nodded with satisfaction and instructed:
"The victory report was sent back to the country to encourage the subjects."

"Also, tell the relevant people that logistics must not be lax, the more bullets and gunpowder the better~"

"Yes."

Seeing His Majesty walking away, the military reporter beside him took out a pen and paper and quickly wrote down the title of the report: "The Imperial Army Captured the Important Town of Rakshasa at the Cost of Only 20 Casualties! Horses Drink from the Volga River!"

(End of this chapter)