Chapter 144: Soaring into the sky, occupying Baoning

"The key lies in food, fodder and ships. Otherwise, we won't be able to mobilize too many people." Fu Kachan looked at the text sent by the court and frowned to express his dissatisfaction, "It will take another two or three months. It's too slow.

."

He and Du Min reported that "Hanzhong and Guangyuan have steep mountain trails, so they requested shipbuilding to Lueyang to speed up the transportation of grain." The Qing government had ordered the governor of Shaanxi and the governor to assist in the supply.

Yang Sanchen, the magistrate of Huizhou, Gansu Province, received the order from the governor. In order to smoothly transfer the grain from Huizhou, he was leading people to clear the dangers of the Jialing River and supervise the repair of ships to transport grain. He "rewarded diligence and discouraged laziness in order to serve him".

Du Min just smiled indifferently to Fu Kachan's complaints and advised: "We must also understand the difficulties faced by the court. We have just finished pacifying the southwest and there is a shortage of money and food. There is nothing we can do about it."

Fu Kachan sighed softly, knowing that Du Min was right, but he just felt anxious and helpless.

To eliminate the Yongli court, the Qing court indeed paid a huge price in manpower and material resources.

The world has been settled for the first time, and everything needs to be revitalized. Restoring production and stabilizing rule are top priorities. There are more places to spend money.

What's more, although the southwest has been pacified, San Francisco's men and horses have swelled to a staggering amount. Wu Sangui's men and horses alone have reached about 100,000.

Although the war was over, Wu Sangui was still asking for a large amount of money, money and food from the Qing court, spending millions on salary every year.

The nearby provinces were in short supply, and they also transferred to Jiangnan and other provinces, which required 20 million taels a year. If there was any shortage, they would "sue a series of lawsuits."

Huang Li didn't think about it, and after a long while he said hastily: "When I was teaching you to wait, I repeatedly emphasized empathy. You think, making this plan is also the result of empathy."

"How long?" Hong Yuanqi curled his lips and smiled warmly, "The thieves captured Yiling and robbed a lot of food and supplies. You can still hold on for several months or even half a year."

Hong Yuanqi and Shi Hong looked at each other, both showing expressions of surprise and surprise.

Shi Hong followed the main force and had more than 200 warships, including Baoning, lurking in Shunqing Mansion.

"After struggling so far, are we at a dead end, with no way to escape?" Du Min leaned back in his chair, thinking about the possibility of going up the river and straight into the small sea.

Everyone went in and out, and Du Min was left alone in the cabin, continuing to think hard.

Going all the way up the Yangtze River and breaking through the various Qing naval forces under the Yangtze River, such as the Huguang Navy, Liangjiang Navy, Susong Navy, etc., was actually as difficult as Shi Hong thought.

Zhaohua is located in the south of Guangyuan, about 70 meters away. It was called Jiameng in ancient times. It is located at the intersection of eight rivers and is an important pass. Many important wars have taken place there for thousands of years.

"If you send troops to rescue, Lueyang is a bad idea. But the cavalry has both missions, and your army is going upstream, so the hope of saving Huizhou's granary is still very small."

Du Min looked at Shi Hongle and thought to himself: Does that guy want to drink Baoning vinegar again? He hasn't eaten anything else, so he's greedy, right?

"Think in someone else's shoes?" Mulima touched her chin and thought for a moment, then said, "How about changing positions and thinking about the problem from the enemy's perspective?"

"Go!" Du Min waved his hand helplessly, unable to bear Mulima's expectant and pleading look.

In order to retain his troops, Fu Kachan also tried every means to stir up rebellion and provocation. Using the excuse that "the frontier is not peaceful, the military strength cannot be reduced, and it is better to remain as before", the Qing government's proposal to disband was always implemented.

Shi Hong chuckled and said, "That's not our business. We are afraid of the enemy, but we don't have enough money and food, and we don't have enough troops. It's difficult to repel the bandits from eastern Sichuan."

Oh, oh, Mulima suddenly understood and danced happily, "The Qing army must be really that stupid, so the main force of your army can be dispatched at the right time, attack from the front and back, and welcome the rear attack."

Without four thousand Four Banners cavalry in hand, Hong Yuanqi and Li Yue thought that they could not take care of both the north and the south, so they rushed to support them.

Li Yue blinked his eyes and speculated while thinking: "Guangyuan is the throat of Sichuan and Shaanxi. Your army is stationed here and can retreat southward at any time. The bandits probably slept peacefully, so they launched the offensive."

What's more, without Jiangyin, Zhenjiang and other fortresses, the Qing government's strategy of using land to control the sea was still ineffective. At most, it prevented the Zheng family navy from entering the Yangtze River again and ensured the danger of Nanjing.

Even if the forts along the river are generally strong, they can still withstand the upgraded rockets pouring upwards. Du Min is not quite confident about this.

Du Min pursed his lips slightly, showing a proud smile.

"The east Sichuan thieves are so cowardly?" Hong Yuanqi reacted slowly and was furious. He was bullying him at home.

At this moment, a greeting came from the cabin, and Huang Li and others hurriedly retreated to listen to the order.

"Your army is stationed in Guangyuan, but reinforcements from the north and south can be used to protect Yu." Hong Yuan refused with his jaw raised, his expression was already so excited and angry, and he frowned slightly and said: "With the strength of the troops, your army will probably be at the upper hand.

”

"It must be unreasonable. It would be very easy for the Qing army to intercept your army at Chaotian Pass. Besides, the food roads have been cut off. How can the Qing army stay in Guangyuan?"

To intercept river ships on land, unless it is a small-scale fort along the river, with dozens of artillery deployed. Otherwise, any iron lock across the river, or bow-fired rockets, will block the steps of the rear vanguard.

Guangyuan belongs to the transitional terrain from basin to mountainous area. Motian Ridge and Micang Mountain run across from east to west, Longmen Mountain runs diagonally from north to south, southeast to west, and arc-shaped mountains such as Jianmen Mountain and Xiaolan Mountain cover a wide area, which is very suitable for cavalry operations.

"The Qing government has not yet moved the border along the coast, which will be a huge blow to the shipbuilding industry and will inevitably affect inland navigation. It seems that this is the right path. As long as the navy is there, the frontline vitality will still remain."
p>

Yuan Dongbao said: "It's complicated. If the Qing army thinks that your army wants to destroy ships and seize food, it will cut off its food and salary channels."

"Wu Sangui and Tu Hai are really capable people in the long siege of Maolu Mountain." Hong Yuan was still angry and found someone to vent his anger on, "This is a small place, and the number of bandits of 20,000 to 80,000 can be doubled."

With such strength, we can still break through."

It was precisely because of the easy financial situation that Xi'an General Hong Yuanqi's memorial was urgently handled by the Qing court. The ministers believed that the war could be coordinated in Xingshan, Huguang, and Guangyuan, northern Sichuan.

"Your Majesty, the general also wants to follow and be a helper to Huang Li." Mulima hurriedly stepped down and asked for orders.

The reason why the Navy had to go through such a battle was that I foresaw that when we entered Huguang, we would inevitably be hindered by the Qing army.

By guarding Zhaohua and Chaotian Pass, Guangyuan would have worries from the north and the south. After still being vague about how few Ming troops would be dispatched, Hong Yuanqi and Li Yue cautiously adopted the strategy of waiting and watching.

"Shi Hong, he led a battalion of men and seventy boats to occupy Baoning, and sent sentry boats downstream to ensure contact with the rear troops as much as possible. He was sure that the Qing army was coming to attack, so he withdrew from the city and returned by boat.

."

Shi Hong pondered for a while and then continued: "Remember, if the rumor spreads again, it will be said that we will retreat to Guangyuan that day."

Yuan Dongbao also clasped his hands and smiled, and said: "I can definitely stop your fleet from entering Gansu and Shaanxi, and save the ships in Lueyang and the food in Huizhou. The Qing army in Guangyuan will be defeated and can only enter Guanzhong in embarrassment.

."

Therefore, from the end of the 11th year of Shunzhi, the Qing court's proposal to abolish Wu Fan's troops was completely ignored.

Li Yue nodded and said: "There are no more 2,000 green battalions in Zhaohua, so sending another 2,000 reinforcements is enough! Chaotian Pass is easy to defend but difficult to attack, so there will be problems with the 8,000 defenders."

"No matter what the purpose is, if you dare to retreat from the invaders, we will be killed and our corpses will be scattered all over the field." Hong Yuanqi waved his hand violently and said: "The bandits want to attack Guangyuan, and Zhaohua is the place they must take. They haven't even gone to Tianguan yet.

We also need to strengthen our defense."

Mulima nodded her head vigorously and said: "Yes, yes, if you think so."

"How can Your Majesty be sure that the Guangyuan Qing army will definitely be mobilized?" Mulima glanced at the cabin cautiously, then turned her head and continued to debate with Huang Li and others.

However, launching a retreat from the lower reaches of the Yangtze River was a strong point of the Qing government. After all, the navy at the mouth of the Yangtze River was the least combative, while those below the river were more capable.

Historically, it was not until the seventh year of Kangxi that the Yunnan-Guizhou chieftains were basically stable, and the Qing government took some steps to eliminate the troops of the Eight Domains. It was not until the fourth year of Kangxi that Fu Kachan's troops were controlled to 80,000 on the surface.
p>

At this moment, the guards hurried in to report, "The bandits took hundreds of boats, sailed down the river, passed Baoning, and were approaching Guangyuan."

………………

"I will obey the order." Huang Li bowed to receive the order, then turned to leave.

Yidu Houta Tianbao led some 200 ships and eight battalions of soldiers, with Tan Yi as a guide, and went down the river. He tried his best to break the Qing army's blockade, entered Gansu and Shaanxi, and made a direct attack on Lueyang and Huizhou.

posture.

Shi Hongle smiled and said: "Then it is said that if you attack the enemy, you must save it. It is written in the military book!"

After that, the Ming army sailing under the Jialing River also made arrangements and adjustments, divided its troops into two groups, and concluded the operation.

Huang Li smiled, feeling that his thoughts were suddenly broadening, and said: "There are only two ways for the Qing army to respond. One is to send troops to rescue; the other is to sit back and wait for your army to return, and then intercept it at Chaotian Pass.

”

Wu Sangui's elder brother is Obai, one of the Seven Minor Assistants. For the sake of military exploits, it is not unreasonable to prefer Shi Hongle.

Li Yue gave a bitter smile and said: "There is no one in the court, so it's not the same. Let's see how long it takes and how much food and supplies we spend to trap the bandits to death and starve to death!"

The combat effectiveness of the Huguang Navy is flattering, but there may still be no forts along the river like an iron chain across the river. Without the experience of dealing with such obstacles, it will not be easy.

Li Yue smiled and said: "If the terrain is favorable, you and the Four Flags cavalry can defeat the bandits and form an army with one charge. Of course, that also depends on the actual situation on the battlefield."

Huang Li nodded and said: "If the rear of your army can break through Chaotian Pass and retreat into Gansu and Shaanxi, what will the Qing army in Guangyuan think?"

It is said that "half of the world's wealth is consumed by the eight vassals" and "Yunnan needs particularly little food and salary, so that the provinces are forced to lose and suffer extreme hardships." Although it is an exaggeration, it also shows the Qing government's financial embarrassment in some aspects.Chapter completed!