There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 130 War breaks out again
The General's Mansion.

Nie Yu summoned the heads of various departments under his command to hold a meeting together.

Nie Yu handed Liu Jun the urgent telegram from Changde Prefecture and said, "Something has happened to the Qing army in western Hunan. Commander He Lin attacked the Pinglong Miao village and was shot dead by a Miao person. The Qing army in western Hunan is now leaderless."

Liu Jun looked at the telegram in his hand, and the more he read, the more frightened he became, because the content inside was too detailed. Not only did it explain that He Lin underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly, and died in Pinglong, but it also pointed out that Fu Kang'an did not die of illness, but was also shot to death by the Miao people.

The telegram also said that the Miao people had agreed to cooperate with the Han army to fight against the Qing army in western Hunan.

The telegram even detailed the Qing army's troop distribution in western Hunan, including how many combat-ready soldiers there were, how many were civilian laborers, how many cannons were available, how much baggage was needed, and even which provinces the troops were from, including where most of the commanders came from. It even detailed the strength of the friendly forces behind enemy lines at Pinglong Miao Village, the distribution of the villages, and a detailed description of the terrain of the Pinglong Valley.

Liu Jun exhaled lightly and said, "Scholars, farmers, merchants, and artisans, all scholars say that merchants are lowly and cunning. But now it seems that it is us scholars who are narrow-minded and fail to recognize talent!"

Wang Ruoyu said, "Let's put aside the question of talent for now. The most urgent matter is how to make a decision. The Qing army commander is dead. The Qing army in western Hunan may seem to have many soldiers and generals, but without the commander and generals to suppress them, the troops will inevitably be divided and demoralized. So, should we send troops now or wait until next year? Should we take the initiative to attack or wait for the Qing army to collapse without a fight?"

That’s right, this is the top priority. Two head coaches have died of illness in succession, and the time difference between them is less than half a year.

The Qing army in western Hunan seemed to have a large number of soldiers and generals, but it was precisely because of this that the main force to suppress the Miao people's uprising army came from the armies of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan and Hubei, Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan.

In other words, less than one-fifth of the soldiers were actually local soldiers from the province, and most of them were guest soldiers from other provinces.

What are the characteristics of guest soldiers?
It’s not that I like to rob, but we just can’t speak the same language!

This is the big problem. It's not so bad between the two lakes. After all, they were one family decades ago and their languages ​​can be understood. But it's troublesome between Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Guangdong and Guangxi.

Let me put it this way! The Qing army in western Hunan had over 100,000 soldiers and horses, but at least half of them spoke dialects that were incomprehensible to each other.

This was during the Qing Dynasty. Although there was the official language, Beijing dialect, designated by the imperial court, most people could not speak it, including many scholars. These common people, soldiers, and rough warriors all preferred to speak their hometown dialects, and the soldiers they brought with them were also from their hometowns.

When Fukang'an and Helin were in power, they were able to suppress the military commanders of various provinces, and even if there was a language barrier, there would not be too much unrest. If there was a war, they could still issue orders through the general's flag, the banner, the war drums and the gongs.

But now, two commanders have died of illness in succession, and the commander's flag has become completely ineffective. The Qing army in western Hunan is not only at a loss, but also doesn't know what to do next?
There were veteran generals of the Eight Banners, such as Eldengbao, in the army, but his qualifications and background were not as good as Fukang'an and Helin, and he was not appointed by the imperial court. He could not command the military generals of various provinces at all. Just to communicate with them, he had to find an interpreter who could speak the dialects of Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Hunan and Hubei.

Now, the Qing army in western Hunan has split into several factions. The two lakes are one, Guangdong and Guangxi are one, Yunnan and Guizhou are half one, and Sichuan and Chongqing are playing by themselves.

There was no other way, so people from Huguang had to move to Sichuan. At that time, the differences between the Sichuan and Chongqing dialects and the Yunnan and Guizhou dialects were quite large. The two sides could not speak the same language and could not play together. Huguang, whose language was relatively similar, would not bring its distant relatives from Sichuan to play.

More than 100,000 Qing troops split into several branches, huddling together for warmth. Even those who reluctantly huddled together were wary of each other.

They are said to be one family, but in the end they are two different families. Dialects are useless. The Qing army in Guangdong lives better than the Qing army in Guangxi!

Lin Wenchang of the Ministry of Revenue frowned and said, "If we send troops now, I'm afraid our food and fodder reserves will not be enough."

Liu Jun shook his head and said, "But if we wait until next year to send troops, I'm afraid there will be more variables. The Qing court is not stupid. Xiangxi cannot be left without a general for a long time. The Qing court will not feel at ease leaving 100,000 troops in Xiangxi without supervision."

Wang Ruoyu also nodded in agreement: "If you delay, things will change!"

Lin Wenchang said, "If we want to send troops now, we must make preparations early. The food reserves in the various prefectures should still be able to barely sustain the army, but if we delay for too long, there is a risk of running out of food and fodder."

Liu Jun asked, "How long will the food and fodder last?"

Lin Wenchang replied, "If 50,000 Han troops were deployed, the battle would last no more than two months. We must set aside money and grain for famine relief and civilian welfare, and we cannot spend it all on the Xiangxi battlefield."

Two months' money and food is really too little.

Liu Jun was a little disappointed, but there was nothing he could do about it. These were food and military supplies for an army of 50,000.

The Qing army was able to hold on because it had the provinces of Huguang, Guizhou, Guizhou and Sichuan at its disposal, which could provide sufficient food and military supplies. However, the Han army today cannot even control the entire province of Hunan, and Hubei only has Jingzhou Prefecture, which is certainly not as strong as the Qing army's original logistics.

The only advantage is probably that the Qing army and the Han army are now on the same starting line.

The Qing army's food supply was cut off, Sichuan Province was also held up by the White Lotus Sect, Guizhou and Guizhou were completely defeated, and Huguang was also blocked by the Han army.

The Han army was short of food, and the Qing army was even more short of food.

The Han army was in a better position, as they lacked the ability to extort money from their lower-level officials. The soldiers would always have enough rations left over after receiving them. Anyone found guilty of embezzling even a few taels would be raided and arrested. Nie Yu thought for a moment and said, "If we can guarantee two months of rations, then we can fight this war. I know what Chief Lin is going to say, but just listen to me. I can solve the food shortage. I just happened to have some compressed rations that I could use first."

Wang Ruoyu was a little confused: "What is compressed dry food?"

Nie Yu didn't say anything, but took out a square package from his sleeve. After tearing it open, he revealed a pancake-shaped object with a strong wheat aroma.

"It smells pretty good, try some!"

Nie Yu broke the dry bread into small pieces and distributed them to several officials who came to the meeting. Even the prefect Li Chen who was attending the meeting was given a small piece.

Everyone looked at each other and saw that the general had eaten it in one bite. Although they felt strange, they still put it in their mouths and chewed it.

Not to mention, this pancake looks weird and tastes weird too!

It's not very delicious, but it's not that bad either. It's a bit hard to chew, but at least it's swallowable. It tastes like frosting and milk have been added to it, a bit like the snacks made by the private chef of the General's Mansion.

But this snack is too unpalatable, maybe that’s just the general’s taste.

"You must be thirsty! Come and have a drink of water."

After eating the dry biscuits, everyone was indeed thirsty, so they didn't hesitate to drink the water in the teacups.

It would have been fine if I hadn’t drunk it, but after I drank the water, not long after, I suddenly felt something was wrong with my stomach.

No, why are you full?

Lin Wenchang was a little surprised: "General, this compressed dry food..."

Compressed dry rations are a product of modern technology and are standard marching rations.

In addition, these people had eaten breakfast before coming, and the food in their stomachs had not been fully digested. Soaking the dry food in water would not make them feel bloated, but they would be really full.

Nie Yu said, "We still have a lot of this compressed dry food. If we use this compressed dry food, can we use it as military rations to support the army in battle?"

Lin Wenchang didn't say anything now.

Liu Jun said simply, "General, with this compressed ration in hand, our army is certain to win before the battle even begins!"

This statement is both flattery and a disguised statement of facts.

Before the troops move, food and supplies must go first. When a real large-scale army fights, it is often a competition of food and supply logistics. Whoever has stronger food and supply logistics capabilities will win the battle.

Wang Ruoyu said, "With the compressed rations, food and fodder are no longer a problem. This battle is completely viable. I think we can first dispatch the Changde Army to try to capture Chenlong Pass."

Liu Jun also offered a suggestion: "We can seize Chenlong Pass. We can also let our spies, or even the Miao people in western Hunan, spread rumors. We can say anything, just say that our Han army is also the sons of the two lakes, and that family members should not fight against each other."

Lin Wenchang clapped his hands in praise, "This is a strategy of sowing discord. Regardless of whether it works or not, it will inevitably create a rift within the Qing army. If the Qing army's commander was still there, this gap would probably have little effect. But now that the Qing army has no commander, using this gap effectively will be the key to victory."

"Liu Zhizhang is right! Didn't the telegram mention that there are also factions within the Qing army? Let them be suspicious of each other."

"Haha, it's more than just mutual suspicion. When I went to Beijing to take the imperial examination, my northern classmates deliberately distanced themselves from me because I was from the south. I couldn't even understand their dialect and had a hard time getting a word in."

"You have a point. Most of these Qing troops are from other provinces. We can use our dialect to provoke them."

"..."

A group of Han army civil servants were chattering there, offering suggestions to each other, and soon Liu Jun's plan of alienation was almost complete.

Let these scholars fight, they are novices, but let them sow discord... No, they use their brains to plot against people, that is their livelihood.

"Okay, let's do it this way. Send a telegram to the Changde Army and let Pang Wencai work harder, so that our talents can be mobilized." Nie Yu was very satisfied with the strategies of these scholars.

(End of this chapter)