The swansong of the swansong

Chapter 162: He Who Does Not Fight Wins
They said the matter would be discussed at another day, but in fact, the decree was issued in Changchun Garden that afternoon.

"Imperial edict: The fifteenth son of the emperor, Prince Yinyu, is granted the title of General of Anbian, and Yanxin, a member of the imperial clan, is granted the title of Deputy General of Anbian. They are to lead 5,000 troops to rush to Barkol to provide assistance... I decree this."

When Yinyou received the imperial edict, he understood what Kangxi was thinking.

The more they argued, the less Kangxi was willing to give them military power. People like Yinyu who did not argue were given military power instead.

However, Kangxi's trust in Yinyu also had a solid foundation.

Yinyou was not only the chief steward of Changchun Garden, but also the Minister of the Imperial Guard and in charge of the military camp. He already held considerable military power.

When leaving the throne, Kangxi asked Yinyu: "What do you want? Tell me."

"My dear Khan, Barkol is located deep in the hinterland of the northwestern border. What I am most worried about is the supply of food and fodder." Yinyou once had an in-depth discussion with Kangxi on the issue of stability on the northwestern border, and the root of the issue was just one word: food.

Kangxi nodded and said, "I have appointed Nian Gengyao as the governor-general of Sichuan and Shaanxi. With him in charge of grain and grass for you in the rear, you should have no worries about food for the army."

Nian Gengyao was a close minister promoted by Kangxi. As the governor-general of Sichuan and Shaanxi, he could both supply food and fodder to the front and cut off the food supply route to the front.

No matter who leads the troops to the northwest, they must consider Nian Gengyao's mood.

Kangxi's move was indeed brilliant, and he firmly grasped the Northwest issue!

The supply problem was solved, and Yinyu then made a request: "I respectfully request Khan Ama's permission to dispatch several battalions of artillery to reinforce Barkol."

Kangxi thought for a moment and generously said, "I will give you two battalions of artillery, a total of 100 cannons."

"Please allow Khan Ama to allocate several hundred soldiers to Solon."

With the artillery for the siege, Yinyou took the opportunity to make a request, wanting the backbone of the cavalry assault, humanoid armor - the Sauron soldiers.

"I'll give you three hundred, no more!"

After all, Yinyou was a trusted son, and Kangxi did not want him to be defeated in the northwest and bring disgrace to the royal family.

"I beg Khan, Father, to grant me the power to rule on my own. If we lose the war, I will have no face to return to the capital!" Yinyu's military order was loud and clear.

Kangxi frowned and rebuked Yinyou harshly: "Even if you lose the battle, you must come back alive. I don't want the old to send the young off. Do you understand?"

"Whoo."

Among the generals of the Qing Dynasty, the most honorable one was the general with orders, and he had almost all powers.

The General Fuyuan has less actual power than the General Anguo.

The so-called General Anbian, without the word "big", is only in charge of his own troops and has no authority to interfere in local military and political affairs.

As for the garrison generals in various places, they had long since become frontier officials such as local governors and governors-general.

When Yinyou led his troops out of the capital, he actually only had two battalions of firearms soldiers, one thousand cavalrymen and three hundred Sauron soldiers.

Only after Yinwei arrived in Xi'an could the troops transferred from various places officially return to their bases.

There was a distinct characteristic in the Qing dynasty's deployment of troops: it only deployed less than a thousand soldiers from various locations.

For example, Henan transferred 500 troops, Shanxi transferred 300 troops, Sichuan transferred 400 troops, and so on. These small troops were all concentrated in Xi'an.

Objectively speaking, this method of deploying troops in small groups, with small and flexible teams and extremely fast marching speed, is very suitable for suppressing small-scale peasant uprisings.

However, if we encounter a large-scale, organized and disciplined team of miners, or the British army that maneuvers freely at sea, we will be in big trouble!
So far, the imperial court has only had one route to send troops to the northwest, and that is to go out of Zhili, through Henan, and over Xi'an.

Within Gansu, there are two directions: one is to enter Qinghai from Xining, and the other is to go through Dunhuang and arrive at Barkol.

The supply of food and fodder for Emperor Qianlong's conquest of the Dzungars was mainly provided by the pack teams of Shanxi merchants, which left Zhangjiakou and transported grain from outside the pass to various grain storage points on the grassland.

The advantage of doing this is that it makes it convenient for the army to obtain food and fodder at any time.

However, Kangxi did not know this method and had not made any arrangements in advance to store grain on the grassland.

Therefore, Yinyou had no choice but to lead his troops out of Zhili, down to Henan, and into Shaanxi through Fengling Ferry.

The reason why they did not take the Shanxi line was that the so-called Eight Gorges of Taihang at the junction of Shanxi and Henan provinces greatly restricted the marching speed of the logistics team.

In particular, Yinyou's team carried a large number of artillery, which made it inconvenient for them to cross mountains and hills.

After the army left the capital, Yinyu had to deliver the greeting letter to the emperor every night by express delivery of 600 miles as required.

As a general leading troops, Yinyou had the obligation to tell Kangxi in a timely manner where his troops were today.

Unlike modern warfare, due to the difficulty of logistical supply, the army's daily advance speed must comply with the regulations of the Ministry of War.

The rule is to walk fifty miles, and you can only walk fifty miles, not even a mile more.

Yinyou completely handed over the management of the army's march to Yanxin, while he himself devoted himself to the study of necessary props for military command, such as flags, drums, and trumpets.

Last time, when he commanded the cavalry to attack the rebellious Mongols, Yinyu knew almost nothing about military command carriers such as flags, drums and horns. This time, Yinyu had plenty of time to study these things.

From Zhili to Henan, there were vast plains all the way, and Yinyu's marching speed was also very fast.

In just over ten days, Yinwei led his troops to Kaifeng Prefecture, the most important town on the Yellow River.

Kaifeng is the capital of Henan Province.

Henan Governor Lu You led all the provincial officials and went ten miles outside the city to welcome them.

Unexpectedly, after seeing Yinyu, Lu You actually said, "Fifteenth Master, can the army bypass the city so as not to disturb the people?"

Yinyou had heard of Lu You and knew that he was a well-known capable official.

The most famous thing about Lu You was that within two years, he petitioned the court to exempt the entire year's taxes and grain for 33 counties in the disaster-stricken areas due to floods and droughts.

In the officialdom of the Qing Dynasty, there were both corrupt officials like Galin and honest officials like Zhang Boxing.

According to common logic, Yinyou should agree to Lu You's request.

However, Yinyu did not want to bear the bad reputation of being a benefactor, so he deliberately lowered his face and asked Lu You: "The army has not yet entered the city, how did Lu Zhongcheng know that it would disturb the people?"

Yes, I haven’t even led the troops into the city yet, how do you know it will disturb the people?

Lu You cupped his hands and said, "To be honest with you, Master Fifteen, the local gentry and merchants in Henan have collected together 20,000 taels of silver for military service, as well as 50 pigs, 10 sheep, and some vegetables."

Yinyou understood it as soon as he heard it. The officials and gentry in Kaifeng City all knew a rule: the Eight Banners soldiers passing through the border were more terrifying than bandits!
To be honest, when Yinyu led his troops from Zhili to Henan, he did not harm anyone along the way.

However, local officials in different places showed different degrees of filial piety according to their abilities.

This kind of filial piety has only one purpose, which is to request the army not to disturb the people.

Yinyou had no shortage of money to spend, and whenever he received similar gifts, he distributed them equally to every officer and soldier who accompanied him.

It was a routine practice to distribute the money used to comfort the army to the soldiers. Not only was it not taboo, but it would also win the praise of Kangxi.

After all, as long as the local people voluntarily gave money to the army without stealing, robbing, burning or killing, the imperial court would be happy to see it.

To be honest, when Yinyu led his troops along the way, the gentry and merchants in Kaifeng City were much more generous than those in Baoding.

When the army passed through Baoding, the merchants and common people of Zhili were only willing to pay 5,000 taels of silver.

However, Kaifeng Prefecture is an important commercial town on the Yellow River, where people, money and resources are concentrated.

Although Baoding is also a provincial capital, it lacks the blessing of the golden waterway, and its level of commercial development is far less prosperous than that of Kaifeng Prefecture.

According to the laws of economic development, since the Song Dynasty, except for the capital, the commercial level of inland cities is definitely not as good as that of water transport cities, and water transport cities are not as good as those of major trading cities on the coast.

Yinyou, who received the benefit, took advantage of the situation and ordered the army to be stationed outside the city of Kaifeng. Anyone who dared to disturb the people would be beheaded!
After staying in Kaifeng Prefecture for three days, Yinyou led his army and boarded various types of ships collected by Lu You, and marched westward upstream in a mighty manner.

After arriving at Fengling Ferry, Yinyou was about to order someone to deliver the order to Nian Gengyao, but unexpectedly, his men came to report.

"General, the Governor-General of Sichuan and Shaanxi, Nian Gengyao, is on the west bank of Fengling Ferry, waiting to see you!"

Yinyou couldn't help but smile slightly. Nian Gengyao, who had always been arrogant, was finally made obedient by him.

Since Nian Gengyao had become so well-behaved, Yinyu didn't want to put on airs and simply took a boat across the border of Henan Province and entered Shaanxi Province.

In the Qing Dynasty, local officials were not allowed to leave the garrison area without permission, so Nian Gengyao was forced to wait at the ferry in Shaanxi.

After the boat docked, as soon as Yinyu appeared at the bow, Nian Gengyao patted his horse-hoof sleeves, tied his hair into a deep knot, and said respectfully: "Governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, your servant Nian Gengyao greets you, the fifteenth master."

Yinyu walked slowly across the gangplank, personally helped Nian Gengyao up, and said with a smile: "Liang Gong, we meet again!"

"I have been looking forward to seeing you, the fifteenth master..." Nian Gengyao quickly flattered Yinyou.

To be honest, although Nian Gengyao dared to play dumb with the fourth brother, he was quite afraid of the scoundrel Yinyou.

As long as there was a disagreement, Yinyou would dare to use violence on the spot, and Nian Gengyao didn't dare to fight back. Who could stand this?

Compared with Yinyou, the fourth master, a serious one, is much more civilized.

Shaanxi Governor Yong Tai, who was standing nearby, witnessed with his own eyes the ugly behavior of Nian Gengyao in being servile to Yinyou. He was so shocked that he even bit his tongue.

Nian Gengyao, that bastard, relied on the favor of the current emperor and the eighth prince to bully Yongtai unscrupulously. Yongtai dared not say anything but was angry.

Unexpectedly, after meeting Yinyou, Nian Gengyao behaved even more obediently than his obedient grandson, and Yongtai's eyes immediately lit up!
If I had climbed up to Yinyou's high branch, would I still have to endure the humiliation from Nian Gengyao?

"Governor of Shaanxi, your servant Yongtai greets the fifteenth master!"

Yinyou turned his head and saw that Yongtai was even more submissive than Nian Gengyao. He felt a little strange. What happened?
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(End of this chapter)