Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1543 Shandong Earthquake ([-])

Guo Puxia has just returned from Yunyang Mansion, and to be honest, the journey has not been peaceful.

When he went, in order to prevent the Qing army from spying on him, he disembarked in Wuling County, which is located in the Shunjun-controlled area, and then traveled all the way for several months. He was escorted by some elite soldiers sent by Zuoying He moved forward with difficulty and made a big circle before finally arriving at Fang County, where Liu Zhonggui's camp is located. Of course, his actions were also reported to Li Laiheng in Changsha in advance, but I don't know if he thought that the East Bank Li Laiheng never said a word because of his displeasure with contacting the general in command of the court in private. He neither agreed nor objected. It was so vague and weird.

Of course, it is inappropriate for people from the east coast to contact the general of the Shun Kingdom in private, but the problem has always been like this for so many years.When Li Guo was in power, because the situation was difficult and precarious, and he was elected by veterans of his father's generation such as Liu Fangliang, Yuan Zongdi, Gao Yigong, etc., he gave each battalion great independence and autonomy. Control the middle camp and the rear camp alone.

It was also true at that time that many aid materials from the people on the east coast were transported to the front line of Hubei by boat and distributed directly to the battalions. This kind of aid is a bit garish, because it can easily be interpreted as an invitation to buy people's hearts.However, when Li Guo was in power, he was more kind and didn't say anything about this matter, but now that Li Laiheng is in power, some things seem a little different.

But so what?With Guo Puxia's proud temperament, he doesn't bother to think about what the people of Shunguo think.In his opinion, a country like Dashun was completely supported by people from the east coast, otherwise the grass on the grave would be tall.What do people from the east coast want to do, and I have given you enough courtesy to report it to you. Is it possible that you still have to wait for the approval of your small court in Changsha before it can take shape?

The people on the east coast were so "rude", so Liu Zhonggui from Zuoying couldn't do it. After all, he was still a courtier of Dashun in name, and he really had no objection, but he was just a little domineering, so he sent some envoys to Changsha to take Thick worship, explain a thing or two to the new king, although only God knows how effective this will be.

Fang County is the home of Zuoying, facing military pressure from two sides. On the left is the Wu Sangui Group entrenched in central Sichuan, and on the right is the Xiangyang Camp of the Qing Army. Neither side is easy to mess with. It is extremely difficult to defend.Of course, from another point of view, some areas of Yunyang Mansion and Kuizhou Mansion occupied by more than [-] troops from Dashun Zuoying were nailed between the two major groups of the Qing army and separated them as a whole. The strategic benefits are also immeasurable. Therefore, the Dashun imperial court supported Zuoying (including He Zhen and his son's unit operating in Shangluoshan area) quite a lot, so that they could continue to create threats on the flanks of the Qing army. .

It was already the spring of 1669 when Guo Puxia arrived in Fangxian County. The market in this small mountainous county seemed to be relatively peaceful. It was the Shunjun family—the physique, complexion, and clothes were not bad, all of which were indicators that could directly reflect the living standard of a place.

Of course, the living standard in Fang County is good, but it doesn't mean that it is the same in all places under Zuoying's rule, and it is impossible.In fact, with the population of 10 in the more than ten counties of Yunyang and Kuizhou prefectures controlled by the Shun army, it is quite difficult to support an army of as many as [-] (sometimes it is necessary to help He Zhen who is reclamating in Shangluo Mountain) There are nearly [-] people in the department), and it is almost impossible to rely on itself without relying on external cooperation-food, medicine, ordnance, cloth, daily necessities, etc. cannot be self-sufficient.

However, due to the painful traffic conditions in the area of ​​Yunyang Mansion and Kuizhou Mansion in Zuoying, the loss of external material transportation is quite large, and Changsha has some pains after a long time, so in many cases, it is still necessary to rely on Zuoying to tap its own potential , improve productivity, and reduce dependence on external materials—at least reduce the amount of food transportation that consumes the most capacity.

So, you can see that in the always mountainous and barren Yunyang Prefecture and Kuizhou Prefecture, Zuoying has planted a large number of potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn and other miscellaneous grains cultivated in the Dabo Botanical Garden of Sakhalin Island. The used land is also used, which is extremely important in mountainous and hilly areas.After all, in the areas of Yunyang and Kuizhou, the flat land is considered to be more precious and must be used to grow staple food, but the mountainous land other than the plain is even more extensive, and it would be a pity not to use it.

In the past, local people could only grow some beans and vegetables, and the utilization rate was low, which seriously affected the grain output.However, in Li Guo’s time, after American crops such as potatoes adapted to the oriental climate were introduced from the east bank (potatoes adapted to the oriental climate at the time of crossing), sweet potatoes, and other American crops, a lot of land was also used, which greatly improved Zuoying. The food production in the jurisdiction increases the population of the control area, enabling it to support a large number of soldiers and horses for long-term operations, although it still needs to import a lot of food and other materials from the outside world.

However, despite the introduction of foreign crops and the utilization of many previously unusable lands, the daily life of the people in most counties and counties in the Zuoying area is still not well-off, and it can even be said to be difficult.After all, the cost of supporting an army of more than 9 troops (including nearly [-] people led by He Zhen and his son) is extremely staggering. At the beginning of the separatist regime in the mid-Tang Dynasty, Tian Chengsi's Weibo Town had more than [-] counties, and only raised [-] troops at first. , Later, it was seen that it was difficult for the people to support them, so they were abolished to [-], which shows the difficulty of raising troops.

Yunyang Mansion and Kuizhou Mansion were controlled by the Shun Army only over a dozen counties, and their land and population were not comparable to Weibo Town in the North China Plain. Even if the productivity was higher than then, it was limited. After the introduction of potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn, it is really difficult to support the local population of hundreds of thousands. Therefore, the armed group Liu Zhonggui and He Zhen still rely heavily on the support of the Changsha court. Perhaps this is why they have not had the slightest objection over the years The reason—of course, it’s one thing to get paid from other places, and another thing to cultivate your own land. More than half of the more than 10 troops under the Liu and He armed groups have been designated as reserve forces. In addition to going out for training, you also have to cultivate land to open up wasteland, just like the ancient military settlements, to reduce the consumption of food and materials.

Guo Puxia traveled all the way, passed Jianshi, Wushan, and Dachang counties controlled by the Shun Army, and felt that the life of the local people was really difficult, and people with pale faces and emaciated skin could be seen everywhere.According to the accompanying Shunjun Zuoying veteran, the oppression of the people in Wu Sangui's jurisdiction next door is also very fierce. Everyone lives with each other, and it's a little more difficult on the Shunjun side. I don't know if it's true or not. Bar.

Because, Guo Puxia also vaguely heard that Kangxi, the young emperor in Beijing, has recently issued edicts frequently, urging Wu Sangui to rectify his troops and horses, trying to make a breakthrough in the south.Otherwise, stay in the middle of Sichuan all day long, fooling people with good news like "defeating the bandit army and beheading dozens", and then wantonly asking for money, food and weapons, what is it like?Is it a fool to be the court?

Therefore, Wu Sangui, the old tortoise, couldn't bear it anymore recently, and planned to move a little bit.Moreover, he is getting older, and he is increasingly pursuing things like fame. I heard that Kangxi promised that once Yungui was captured, he would hand over the three provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan to his jurisdiction and restore the title of King Pingxi.Such a generous reward moved Wu Sangui quite a bit. After all, what he pursued for many years was to separate himself from one side and claim to be alone?

As for rebelling and proclaiming emperor, that's a joke. Wu Sangui himself didn't really mean anything about it. In history, if Kangxi hadn't pushed too hard and didn't give the "veteran cadres" face, how could Wu Sangui have rebelled?What's more, although the current Qing court has failed to dominate the world, it is still strong enough. Wu Sangui is not sure that he can defeat the Manchu Qing court, which claims to have millions of troops. However, many of the elite soldiers and horses stationed in Nanjing, Xiangyang, and Shaanxi-Gansu areas have never moved lightly. Wu Sangui really has no confidence in being able to confront the Manchu Qing court head-on.Therefore, it would be more comfortable to be the free and unrestrained Pingxi King. The premise is that the little Emperor Kangxi can really keep his promise, and he can also establish reasonable meritorious deeds.

Based on this consideration, since the autumn harvest in the second half of last year, Wu Sangui has sent donations and taxes, recruited soldiers, raised food and grass, and made weapons in central Sichuan to make sufficient preparations for the war, which made his neighbors very nervous .It is reported that Wu Sangui originally had 5 troops, many of whom were from Liaodong—most of them came from the headquarters of Ningyuan and the annexed Shanhaiguan Commander Gaodi. Later, they annexed a lot of Shaanxi-Gansu Green Battalions who went south to support Sichuan. The overall is relatively good at fighting - the equipment is good, the morale is not low, and the combat effectiveness is still considerable.

Once mobilized this time, with the wealth in Central Sichuan, it shouldn't be a big problem to double the size of the army. Although the combat effectiveness may be reduced, it shouldn't be too difficult to deal with Xia Nanming's crooked melons and dates.The only variable is that after the Nanming court accepted the exiled forces of the Great Western Army in the past, now, except for the local Ming army, almost all the troops directly under the imperial court are controlled by "western thieves". With a lot of improvements, it's hard to say whether Wu Sangui's Nanzheng can achieve the expected victory.

Furthermore, it is said that Zhang Xianzhong's godsons such as Sun Kewang, Li Dingguo, Liu Wenxiu, etc. were outstanding for a while, and now the situation of the shipwreck in Nanming is very critical, and there is nothing for everyone to argue about. The 300 to [-] troops that have been reorganized, supplemented by tens of thousands of Ming defenders in the local area, may not be the end of a big defeat.And once Wu Sangui can't win quickly, with the [-] years of deep cultivation in the southwest of Ming Dynasty, the local chieftains and chieftains will almost certainly jump to the Nanming side. Impossible things - the uncertainty of war has always been great!

Such a major change in the situation in the southwest is also the main reason why Guo Puxia came to contact Shunguo this time.Although this news is only rumored at the moment, it is very likely. Many of the exercises sent by Zuoying to Sichuan have given clear signals that Sichuan is currently preparing for a major war. The possibility of this is extremely high, that is to say, Nanming is going to be operated on!

To be honest, this kind of behavior of the Qing army makes people a little puzzled.Of course, based on Wu Sangui's ability and the capital he has accumulated over the years in Central Sichuan, he should have a good chance of fighting Nanming, even if there is no large-scale assistance from the Tartar court—in fact, it is impossible to station in the city without any assistance. The [-] Manchurian Eight Banners in central Sichuan will also go to the front to supervise the battle, and Shaanxi and Gansu may also send [-] to [-] green battalions to go south—but the question is, is the old thief Wu so talkative?This guy has been playing the trick of raising the bandits' self-respect for many years, defrauding an unknown amount of food and equipment from the Manchu and Qing courts, and is essentially in a state of separatism.

This kind of warlord would be so kind as to work for the Manchu court?It's a bit confusing.

But no matter whether you can figure it out or not, it is a fact that the old thief Wu mobilized in the middle of Sichuan. Even Liu Zhonggui himself will soon lead his headquarters westward to Fengjie to observe the situation from a distance—but the troops stationed at the junction of Badong, Xingshan and Yunyang Prefecture and the Qing army cannot withdraw, because they are also de facto captured by the Qing army. The Xiangyang camp was restrained, although the Qing Dynasty seemed to be busy with disaster relief and had no time for him.

It was against this background that Guo Puxia came to the Zuoying area. He also came with 32 brand new [-]-C flintlock rifles and several small Army light guns (cannons could not be transported from a long distance due to their weight) , as a gift to the left battalion soldiers from Liu Zhonggui and below, to encourage them to continue to stick to the front line, not to be pessimistic, let alone discouraged, to believe that the Qing army is not strong enough to defeat them and so on. Policy works hard.

Since Liu Zhonggui led troops to Gucheng area to intimidate the Qing army a few days ago and had not yet returned to Fang County, the person who came out to receive the envoys from the East Bank was Liu Guochang, a veteran of the Zuoying, who was also an old acquaintance from the East Bank.Back then, this gentleman was displeased with Li Guo's "revisionist" policy, coupled with offending people with his big mouth, and the personnel in the left camp were not good, so he was kicked to the East Bank of Ningbo Prefecture to receive training and help the East Bank He has guarded the frontier for many years, fought fiercely with the Qing army many times in the Ningshao area, and later participated in the large-scale battle of Huai'an Mansion, which can be regarded as rich experience.

After the Battle of Huai'an Mansion, Liu Guochang and others led their troops back to Dashun. Due to their large number of troops (they recruited troops in Huai'an Mansion area, the number of troops quickly expanded from more than [-] to more than [-]), their equipment was good, and their tactics were not bad. It is novel, so after returning to the Zuoying system, it also became a small hill in the Zuoying mountain, and its status is quite high, so it will be elected by the left-behind generals to receive Guo Puxia and others.

The child is hospitalized, there is no time code, and the update time is uncertain, sorry.

(End of this chapter)