Great Qing Dynasty talker

Even when the situation was extremely serious, George III still stubbornly refused to expand the army on a large scale, ignoring the fact that the number of the local army was only 5.

At Buckingham Palace, George III even angrily shouted at a young nobleman who proposed to expand the army by 50:

"We, the Great Saxons, have our own special national conditions."

"Expand the army and the Hanoverian dynasty will fall."

"Without expanding the army, the Saxons will perish."

"I won't expand it, even if I die. Don't say anything more, or I will skin your whole family~"

Everyone was dumbfounded.

Only the palace attendants knew that His Majesty the King had recently been reading a best-selling oriental comic book "The Song Dynasty 1566" and was probably fascinated by some of the content in it.

In the comic strip, the Emperor of Song was extremely domineering. He would beat up civil officials during court sessions and visit brothels in casual clothes after court hours, leaving behind many anecdotes.

King George III was so excited that his blood boiled and he exclaimed it was so enjoyable.

but,

George III still had some sense after all.

He spent 1200 million taels of silver and 500 million pounds worth of logistical supplies in one go to ease the anger of his allies.

……

Kings are so irritable.

The nobles became even more frantic. More than one million intervention troops besieged Frank frantically from all directions, and various brutal incidents occurred one after another.

So that
A Vienna newspaper lamented:
"Emperor Wu only needs to sit by the sea to see countless corpses floating down."

"Countless fortunes were wiped out, countless young people turned into bones. If we had known this would happen, we might as well have just drank tea every day~"

The next day,

The newspaper was confiscated and all those involved were jailed.

The authorities were outraged to discover that the newspaper's president and several editors-in-chief had fled with their families the night before publication and were nowhere to be found.

Everyone shuddered.

They finally realized a terrible problem: although Earl Jia was gone, his disciples were still active in the news industry.

……

At this time, a passenger ship flying the flag of the Papal States in the Mediterranean.

The newspaper's management was sitting in the top luxury cabin, with roast goose, oysters, caviar, white bread, and French fries on the table.
The president opened the champagne, bang~
Excitedly shouted:

"Celebrate the freedom."

Everyone shouted:

"Cheers to freedom~"

That's right, they are collectively heading for light and freedom.

They believed that the Wu army would win and the coalition forces would lose.

If you surrender now, your pledge of allegiance will still be valuable. If you come back in a few years, your worth will have increased tenfold.

The value of the phrase "There is a powerful empire behind you" is still increasing.

……

During this cold winter, the Wu army remained on hold.

Except for a small number of vassal troops scattered in various strongholds to spend the winter, the main force hibernated north of the Black Sea and east of the Dnieper River.

Food is plentiful.

Meat was plentiful.

The house is warm.

Fuel is plentiful.

The army's morale is stable, full of confidence, and not tired at all.

Li Yu is like the head of a giant octopus, the more than one million soldiers under his command are the tentacles of the octopus, and the millions of migrant workers are the tiny suction cups under the tentacles.

The octopus squats on the seashore, quietly absorbing nutrients from tens of thousands of square kilometers nearby.

development!

Next year, jump into the Black Sea and create huge waves.

……

St. Petersburg.

Hermitage.

Gunfire rang out.

The Semenovsky Guards Regiment once again came to the fore, and the soldiers launched a coup with the support of the great nobles!

The soldiers broke straight into Paul's bedroom.

"Your Highness, please sign~"

Paul took it, took a look at it, and threw it on the ground.

A noble officer picked it up and handed it over again: "Your Highness, sign it!"

Snapped!
Paul shot down again.

Pick it up again.

The officer was murderous and pulled out his pistol: "Sign!"

Paul stood up and sneered, "I am the Tsar!"

……

A gunshot rang out and Paul fell down.

On the same day, his son Alexander I announced his succession to the throne. The first thing he did after ascending the throne was to abolish all of his father's measures and return the empire to the era of his grandmother.

Catherine II won again.

She had long known that her son not only had no affection for her, but also had completely different ways of thinking. However, she was unable to depose the crown prince due to the fierce opposition from the Privy Council.

So, by raising her grandson herself, she nailed the lid of her son Paul's coffin more than ten years in advance.

The royal struggle is so bloody~
There are no fathers and sons in heaven.

……

Hermitage.

The envoys of various countries once again sought to see the new Tsar Alexander to consolidate the alliance.

Compared to mad Paul, the envoys felt that the young Tsar was closer to his grandmother, with blue eyes full of ambition and wisdom.

finally,
Both sides are happy.

A series of terms were agreed.

Simply put:

Luosha will return to the alliance and form a large army on the eastern front to fight against Wu's army together with the armies of other countries.

The other five countries recognized that Russia would annex part of the territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Union and Constantinople after the war.

The six countries unanimously supported the restoration of the Bourbon dynasty.

In addition, the Saxon Kingdom will provide St. Petersburg with no less than 600 million pounds of military funds or supplies.

……

When the news reached London, George III and his cabinet members felt slightly relieved.

7 days later,

A huge fleet arrived in St. Petersburg, with all kinds of brand-new weapons, including cannons, flintlock rifles, rockets, gunpowder, shells, sabers, and spirits.

Countless unarmed serfs were armed and formed into infantry regiments.

The noble sons of the Rakshasa Empire no longer lived a life of dissipation and debauchery. They restrained their dissoluteness, put on military uniforms, picked up swords, and joined the army as battalion and regiment-level officers.

The cold north wind could not stop Rakshasa's war machine from warming up.

……

Wu Jun was not idle either.

The tactics were discussed over and over again, and the logistical supplies were calculated over and over again.

Sand table exercises, simulating war.

In the eyes of Emperor Wu, there are no secrets in Europe because there are too many people who volunteer to provide intelligence, including a certain group of shrewd businessmen and the Thermidorians in Paris.

Bottom line: Europe has never been a monolithic entity.

The cracks between them are so large that it is difficult to close them even with electric welding.

……

Li Yu would never order the army to fight in the wind and snow. He would rather advance steadily than advance rashly.

After spring,
More supplies and vassal troops will arrive.

On the west bank of the Dnieper River, snowflakes were falling as Li Yu led a group of senior military officers to watch the test firing of Wolf's picric acid shells from afar.

There was a flash of fire from the muzzle of the gun.

The forest two miles away suddenly burst into flames. The explosion was so loud that snowflakes fell nearby and tree trunks fell down.

Li Yu smiled and said:

"Huaisheng, how is it?"

"Your Majesty, I judge that the explosive power of the picric acid shell is at least four times that of the black powder shell. The combustion caused by the explosion is also very fierce. If it is used to bombard the enemy infantry phalanx, no one can stop it."

……

A group of senior military officers nodded, their excitement evident on their faces.

Chemist Wolfe, who was standing nearby, took off his expensive beaver hat and bent down slightly.

He was shouting in his heart:

Steady!

Wealth and honor, scientific reputation, all secured~
The sound of cannon fire rang out again, followed by a rapid-fire display.

Shrapnel shells fell in the woods one after another, and the visual effect was amazing. The entire forest was destroyed and filled with yellow smoke.

Black powder produces white smoke after explosion, while picric acid powder produces yellow smoke.

Also, the fire effects were too obvious.

……

After the end, Li Yu called Wolfe and asked in a low voice: "What is the current safety factor of the shells?"

Wolfe was well prepared and said quickly:

"I have reduced the probability of accidental explosion to one tenth of the original by applying wax. I have also drafted 20 regulations for the storage, transportation and use of shells. If all of these can be followed, it will be completely controllable."

Li Yu nodded.

Wolfe hastened to add:

"I suggest that during a battle, the artillery positions should be dispersed as much as possible, with a certain distance between the guns. It is also best to dig the artillery positions in advance."

"Ok?"

"Your Majesty, please look at this. This is the sketch I drew. Dig an arc-shaped pit in the ground and pile up soil on both sides. This can prevent simultaneous explosions and reduce the reset time due to recoil."

Li Yu took a look at the densely packed data on the drawing.

Patted his shoulder:

"After peace, I plan to invest a huge sum of money to establish an international award to reward talents who have made great contributions to human civilization, covering various disciplines. You are also on the list~"

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Go ahead, hurry up and stock up on ammunition. The more the better~"

……

The busiest people throughout the winter were the workers, who were busy preparing for the war next year.

Steamboats, picric acid shells, and circular barbed wire were all production focuses.

The endless black soil, the unattended forests, and the rich underground mineral reserves provided abundant survival resources for millions of troops and millions of civilians.

The farmers who went abroad to work were reluctant to stay idle even during the slack season. They set up nets everywhere to catch wild animals and fish, and made them into dried meat to sell to the army.

This winter, the army kept stockpiling food and fodder, especially various types of dried meat that were small in size but high in calories.

……

The twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month.

The Sentinel took control of a distressed Polish noble.

This person came from Warsaw and brought a shocking news:

Russia dispatched 30 infantry and 5 cavalry, and Prussia dispatched 15 infantry, and launched a sudden attack. The alliance lost three battles in a row and is now on the verge of destruction.

He risked his life to break out of the siege and asked Emperor Wu for help.

He also said that Warsaw could only hold out for two more months at most.

Li Yu was overjoyed~
It is necessary to appease this loyal nobleman and learn as much as possible from him about the combat habits and equipment of the Prussian army.

However, they remained silent and offered no assistance.

……

The latest news came before the end of the first month of the year.

Warsaw falls
After the Russian and Prussian armies broke into the city, they executed at least 6% of the nobles and officers, and the fire burned for three days and three nights.

The alliance was destroyed.

……

Soon, more news came.

Tsar Alexander I promulgated the "Law on the Emancipation of Serfs", announcing that serfs who made contributions in the fields of literature, military, science and technology would automatically be freed from slavery and be granted land.

This decree is ridiculous.

But it did allow some serfs to see hope after making meritorious contributions on the battlefield.

With the help of various "pirate smugglers" and "newspaper friends", intelligence continued to reach the Wu army camp.

Current military expansion in various countries:

The Prussian Army had one million men.

The Rakshasa Army has two million men.

The Habsburg Monarchy had an army of one and a half million men.

The Iberian Army numbered five hundred thousand.

And, the Saxon (including the Netherlands) Army of 5!
Rounding off, the paper military strength is 500 million, which is a shocking number.

……

However, Li Yu was not afraid at all.

War is not about size; whoever has more soldiers wins.

With the small population base of each country, if they want to mobilize an army of 500 million, there won't be many men left in the country, right? How much money and food will it take to maintain such a large standing army?
Among this 500 million-strong army, there are at least 350 million pure recruits, right?
As long as Paris doesn't fall, the Frankish Kingdom can still hold back at least 50 people, right?

It's difficult for a multinational coalition to achieve unified command and coordination, right?

Look at our side.

In recent years, with sightseeing marches and intermittent wars, even the new recruits of the vassal army have been tempered into qualified veterans.

One word: The advantage is mine~
……

Combine various intelligence sources with on-the-spot reconnaissance by Mongolian scouts.

Li Yu chose a place for the decisive battle - the area east of the lower reaches of the Dnieper River, which is also the main garrison area of ​​the army at present.

After hearing this plan, all the senior military officers gasped. His Majesty is planning to fight a war of annihilation.

Our million-strong army did not move a single step, leaving the enemy with the trouble of marching far away.

This idea is excellent, but how to lure the enemy deep into your territory? How to ensure that you don’t fail?

The staff officers discussed intensely and deduced repeatedly.

……

Time passes silently~
Winter passes and spring comes, and everything revives.

Citizens in European towns still drank tea secretly, believing that it was good for health and could protect against infectious diseases.

The more it is forbidden, the more people want to drink.

Countries formed unprecedentedly large armies, most of whom were new recruits.

These men who were forcibly conscripted were naturally dissatisfied, but they did not dare to resist. After all, it was the king's order.

A military camp in the Slovak region.

3 new recruits from the Habsburg Monarchy, 1 new recruits from Prussia, and 1 new recruits from Russia were stationed here.

……

Lunch time~
A blacksmith from Vienna suddenly stood up and raised the wooden bowl in his hand.

"Sergeant, I need some tea."

"What did you say?"

"I want steaming hot black tea with sugar."

The sergeant stopped and stared at him fiercely, saying word by word: "Are you looking for trouble?"

The blacksmith sat down with a droopy look on his face.

He was just used to drinking black tea at home and couldn't give up the habit for a while.

After the sergeant left, the blacksmith sat by the fire and recalled:
"In this horrible weather, it would be nice to have a cup of hot black tea with sugar and milk."

The comrades around ~ some of the farmers from the mountains were confused, while other citizens from the towns nodded one after another.

……

A few days later, a soldier who shared the same tent with the blacksmith suddenly died of illness.

He suffered from frequent diarrhea in the days before his death, the cause of which was unknown, but considering the cold weather and the large gathering of tens of thousands of people, it would not be surprising if anything happened.

Looking at the gray face of the corpse, the blacksmith's emotions suddenly got out of control.

He screamed at the military doctor:

"We need tea! Tea!"

"We can die in battle, but we can't die of illness because of lack of tea!!"

His sentiments infected some soldiers, and hundreds of comrades recruited from towns joined the protest.

……

When they rushed into the luxurious military tent, they were surprised to find that the fat commander was holding a cup of fine black tea in his hand.

The blacksmith snatched it away.

Raise it above your head and signal everyone:
"Look, brothers, these damn hypocritical nobles secretly drink tea themselves, while arresting the common people who drink tea and throwing them into prison."

……

"Drink tea!"

"Drink tea!"

"We want tea!"

The protests started to get out of control.
Some noble officers gathered other officers to try to suppress the rebellion, but the angry recruits would never surrender and of course they raised their guns and started fighting.

Bullets were flying everywhere, and it was hard to tell friend from foe.

Seeing that a rebellion had occurred in the friendly army camp, the Junker aristocratic officers, who had always attached great importance to hierarchy, were furious. They actually ordered Prussian soldiers to quell the riot.

This is somewhat presumptuous.

Someone started shouting:
"The Prussians are shooting at us."

"Brothers of the Habsburg Monarchy, take up your guns and fight them."

The Habsburg soldiers who were originally shooting at each other seemed to have forgotten their hatred in an instant and turned their guns to shoot at the Prussian soldiers.

……

The Rakshasa army was frightened and immediately retreated 3 miles to avoid the chaos.

The next day,

A large number of reinforcements arrived.

The nobles of the two countries first had a quarrel when they met, accusing each other of killing their own soldiers, and then joined forces to suppress the rebellion, temporarily stabilizing the situation.

There were three fierce arguments between Berlin and Vienna.

Eventually, the two countries were able to resolve their past conflicts through mediation by the Saxons, but the cause of the mutiny cannot be ignored.

After urgent consultation~
The Allied Forces General Headquarters decided to purchase tea from Wu merchants entrenched in Suez and distribute tea to the front-line troops, with a limit of 20 ounces per company per day. (End of this chapter)