Forty-eight years of Qianlong

As the gong alarm sounded, the armored soldiers on the hillside suddenly fell into panic. In a hurry, some were looking for bows and arrows, some were squirming under the carriage, some were crying "Buddha", and some were running around in the crowd like headless flies. The chaos was also mixed with noises. Hearing the officer's shouts and curses.

Mian En stood motionless, his blood boiling all over his body, his head dizzy and his body trembling with anger. I tried my best to arouse the emotions of these people, but with the smoke rising over there, my efforts were in vain.

At this time, Lan Chun, the guard behind him, said in a hurried tone: "Sir, I will protect you and take shelter in the woods."

After hearing the words of his subordinates, countless thoughts flashed through Mian En's mind. However, the inherent pride and strong self-esteem in his blood always prevailed, and his face became more and more ferocious.

He decided to take a gamble. If the current situation cannot be solved, whether it is to take his place on the nine-level throne or to lead the Eight Banners through hardships, it will all be wishful thinking!

"Get away!" Mian En yelled, kicked Lan Chun out, and then said to the guard captain Wu Ni who was running over: "Wuni!"

"The slave is here!"

"Watch my gesture later! As long as I wave my arm, the cannon team will fire at that thing!" After that, he said to several guards: "You guys go too! Who dares to fire without permission without listening to the order?" If you have a gun, or if anyone is escaping, you don’t need to wait for my instructions, just kill them directly!”

"Hey! I obey your orders!"

After giving the order, Mian En turned around and stepped onto the carriage's shaft with a quick step. He took off the bamboo hat on his head and the oil coat outside, completely revealing the prince's robe. Then he raised his right leg and stepped on the carriage. He took a sip on the box and stared at the black figure in the sky in the distance.

"Come on! Stand right here! Either I will knock you down, or you will kill me!"

As the saying goes, good soldiers will be brave. Mian En's posture made the panicked officers and soldiers around him stunned, and then they felt ashamed. They all turned to the carriage where Mian En was and gathered around, either raising their bows and setting arrows, or holding their swords and guns tightly and shouting curses at the sky.

At this moment, the bloody spirit hidden in the bones of the Eight Banners Mongolian soldiers in Jingkou finally broke out under the inspiration of Mian En.

Survival or face? This question is faced by modern people in another time and space, and many people will choose the former without hesitation. For many modern people, face is worth a pound, money is real! As long as I have money, what face can't be regained? Some people even loudly claimed that "learning to be shameless is a compulsory course for adults." Only by being shameless can we live a happier life.

But for Chinese people in traditional society, face is the dignity of being a human being. If dignity is gone, they are no different from pigs, dogs and beasts. You must know that social death in ancient times was much more serious than in modern times. If "loyalty" is involved again, the entire family will be unable to hold its head high, and future generations will be criticized.

It is said that Gao Liugeng and the others had a small test in the morning and beat the Qing army to a pulp. However, due to the increasing snowfall, they did not send out drones again. The military officer who gave them drone training repeatedly warned them that they must not fly in four weather conditions: strong wind, heavy snow, heavy rain, and thunder and lightning.

During this period, they just observed through telescopes on Tianfeng Pavilion and noticed Qing troops moving on the top of the mountain in the south. But because the visibility was so poor, I couldn't see clearly what the other party was doing.

It was like this until noon. Gao Liugeng, who was eager to understand the situation of the Qing army, saw that the snow had lightened up. After careful consideration, he decided to send out the drone to investigate. After all, there were only ten of them, and they felt really unsure if they didn't find out the Qing army's movements. In order not to affect the flight speed, no grenades were attached this time.

At the same time that the drone took off, several Qing troops stationed on the mountain behind Yongqing Temple noticed it, so they hurriedly lifted up the tarpaulin on the firewood pile and poured another jar of Yongqing's food on it. I burned it with the sesame oil obtained from the monks of Qing Temple.

The drone first flew over the dry riverside and circled around. It saw the Qing Army No. 100 on the east and west sides of the Hongtu Bridge, but it was not the same group of armored soldiers wearing cotton armor as before; then it flew to Yongqing Temple. After wandering around the back hill, I discovered that there were only four Qing soldiers on the hill.

"Captain, look!"

The team members responsible for operating the drone quickly discovered a new situation. On the trail leading to the back mountain of Yongqing Temple, more than 20 Qing troops were carrying supplies to the top of the mountain. The most conspicuous among them were two cylindrical objects wrapped in oilcloth and tied with ropes. They were carried on the shoulders by four Qing soldiers with wooden poles. Judging from the clothes worn by those Qing soldiers, these people were not Eight Banners soldiers, but Green Camp.

Gao Liugeng, who was standing next to the operator, felt that the operator should be carrying two cannons. As for what others were carrying, they should be gunpowder, cannonballs and sandbags. He then pondered for a moment about the appearance of the cannon bodies wrapped in oilcloth, as well as the height and pace of the Qing soldiers carrying the burden, and estimated that the length of the two cannons should be about six feet and their weight should be about three hundred kilograms.

When Gao Liugeng was receiving training at the Intelligence Bureau headquarters, he specifically studied the artillery knowledge of the Qing army, including shape, weight, caliber, range, etc. This was very helpful in spying on the defense forces of cities in various places. According to his estimation, those two cannons should be large mountain-splitting cannons.

The mountain-splitting cannon first appeared in the Ming Dynasty. In the early days, it was a short-range, small, long-barreled cannon. It generally weighed about 70 to 80 kilograms. It shot iron sand and was mainly used to kill infantry. By the Qing Dynasty, because the Qing government only stipulated three light types of artillery for daily drills, anti-theft and patrol purposes, they were widely equipped in flag camps and green camps all over the country.

Before the "Battle of Jinchuan" broke out, the Qing army used it extensively in the battles between Hezhan and Tusi because of its light weight and easy transportation. However, because the power is too small, it has no effect on attacking Tibetan watchtowers. At most, a half-pound iron bullet can knock off a few rocks or make a small hole. Therefore, if the Qing army wanted to conquer the towers, they could only use human lives to do so.

After the "Battle of Jinchuan" began, facing the mountainous area densely populated with towers, the Qing army found it difficult to advance, and large artillery could not be transported, so the battle situation fell into a stalemate. According to Zhang Guangsi, the governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi at the time, the Chengdu Munitions Bureau improved the Mountain Splitting Cannon, increasing the weight to 500 to 700 kilograms, and the length to more than six feet. It could fire shells weighing three kilograms to three and a half kilograms, with a range of It can reach four or five miles, and each use of thirty concentrated attacks can destroy a watchtower.

After the "Battle of Fuldan City", Zhao Xin asked the Qing government for the Flower and Bird Island in the Si Islands to be used as a transit station for the southward journey. Although Qianlong pinched his nose and agreed, in order to prevent ships from Beihai Town from entering the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and disrupting Jiangnan, he transferred all the hundreds of large mountain-splitting cannons cast in Sichuan to Jiangnan to strengthen Jiangyin Fort and Jiangning and Zhenjiang. The armaments of other places.

Gao Liugeng felt that there was some trouble. Although the grenades attached to the drones can kill people, the iron cannons weighing several hundred kilograms cannot explode. We must find a way to get rid of these two cannons, otherwise they will pose too great a threat to Tianfeng Pavilion. You must know that the top of the mountain behind Yongqing Temple is several meters higher than the height of Tianfeng Pavilion, and the distance between the two is only more than two miles. This thing can even hit stone towers, and the wooden structure of Tianfeng Pavilion may collapse with just a few shots.

At this moment, he suddenly remembered the large drones that were seven or eight feet square that he saw during training in Beihai Town. He had seen with his own eyes a row of mortar shells hung underneath that thing for a display of firepower. The power was simply beyond repair!

But it's a pity that they are an intelligence agency responsible for espionage and covert operations, not a field force, so they can only use this small drone. Thinking about it, even though that thing carries a heavy load, it also makes a lot of noise. When it starts, it can be heard from two miles away.

Just as he was thinking about how to deal with it, the drone turned south again, and hundreds of armored soldiers gathered on the hillside soon appeared on the screen. What was different from before was that the Qing troops who saw the drones coming did not run away. Instead, they stood around a dozen carriages, holding bows and arrows in a prepared posture.

"Have these guys changed their gender?"

The operator's muttering attracted Gao Liugeng's attention. He turned to look at the screen and saw a man standing on a carriage in the middle of the screen. He was still bareheaded in the cold weather and was wearing an azure official uniform. He was obviously an official.

Gao Liugeng made a "cut" sound and said contemptuously: "You are so brave! What are you doing without wearing a hat in the cold weather?"

However, as the camera zoomed in, he was surprised to find that the official's robe had two circular patterns on the shoulders, one on the chest and one on the back. You should know that even the first-grade governor of Liangjiang has a square patch on his chest and no pattern on his shoulders. The answer is obvious. The only one who can wear this suit is the Prince Ding who is on the imperial envoy going south!

The problem is that Gao Liugeng doesn't know what Mian En looks like, so his first reaction is that it's a scam. This guy was standing there stupidly in the cold weather. He was obviously a target. What did he want to do?

Sure enough, as the drone's camera panned around, he finally discovered the musketry team hiding in the woods.

Okay! The Qing army's musketry unit hiding in the woods could not hide under the condescending surveillance of the drones. Even a guy could clearly see the action of wiping his nose with his sleeve!

Needless to say, the guy sitting on the carriage must be a Xibei guy! The Qing army tried to use him to attract attention and shot down the drone with muskets when it lowered its altitude to drop bombs.

Thinking of this, Gao Liugeng sneered and said: "You are as evil as a ghost, but you also want to eat my foot-washing water! Guisun, you actually want to trick me, but I won't be fooled!"

"Captain, the snow is heavy again and the lenses are fogged up. We can't fly anymore."

"Hey~~ That's the only bad thing about this thing, it's too expensive." Gao Liugeng said helplessly: "Take it, take it."

Seeing that the eight-clawed monster of the Northern Pirates actually left without laying an egg, the officers and soldiers of the Eight Banners in Jingkou, who did not know that they were unlucky, felt unbelievable, and then they burst into cheers that were as loud as mountains and the ground.

They all cast their eyes on Mian En, who was still on the carriage, and the admiration in their hearts was beyond words. It can be said to be "like a surging river, continuous and endless, and like the Yellow River overflowing, which can be out of control."

"Your Majesty is mighty! Your Majesty is wise!"

"Your Majesty is a good man!"

"Your Majesty is here, all evil will be dispersed!"

"Your Majesty, a thousand years old! A thousand years old!"

Seeing the scene in front of him, Mian En's stiff face also squeezed out a smile. Even though he looked majestic and domineering as he stepped on the box, his whole body was actually stiff.

When the drone hovered overhead just now, Mian En's heart and back were soaked with cold sweat. At this moment, a gust of wind rushed over with snowflakes, and then I felt cold all over my body. My underwear was soaked with sweat and clinging to my body was indescribably uncomfortable. That is to say, he has practiced martial arts, riding and shooting since he was a child, and has developed good muscles and bones. If it were anyone else, he would have fainted by the wind.

At this time, the guard Lan Chun had already got on the carriage and wanted to help Mian En down. He felt that his master was shivering, so he hurriedly took off his cotton robe and put it on him.

"Master, would you like to sit down and have a rest?"

Mian En raised his hand to stop Lan Chun's move, knowing that his morale could not be reduced, and he must take advantage of this momentum to carry out subsequent actions. He moved his body a little, and then ordered Lan Chun to open the oak box he was stepping on just now. Several cheering armored soldiers were quickly attracted by what was revealed in the box. After a while, whispers made all the armored soldiers present fall silent, and their eyes showed excitement.

I saw that in the box were stacked layers of Su Tuo silver ingots, all of them five or two each, shining brightly. The small breast nails are surrounded by circles of fine annular silver patterns, and not a trace of dirt can be seen on the pockmarked pits on the lower hemisphere. At first glance, they are newly cast, with a full ninety-five percent finish.

Mian'en signaled Lan Chun to hand him a silver ingot. After taking it, he tossed it up and down in his hand and said loudly: "This silver is a reward brought to you by me. I know it is not easy for you to support your family. Everyone, everyone Fifty taels will be given first! After the deed is completed, each person will be rewarded with another fifty taels! Those who are injured will be given between 100 taels and 200 taels according to the severity, and those who die in battle will receive a pension of 300 taels! Whoever can catch a North Sea pirate , life or death, reward five hundred taels of silver!"

The reason why Mian En wanted to borrow 30,000 taels of silver from the Weaving Department before he came was to let the Jingkou Eight Banners Armored Soldiers risk their lives again and enter Suiyuan and Beihai Town to complete the task of capturing Yuan Mei's family. He didn't believe it. Even with a heavy reward, more than five hundred armored soldiers and a hundred gun soldiers couldn't deal with ten northern pirates. The worst case scenario is to use human lives, even if it's ten or twenty lives in exchange for one, we still have to get things done today.

Although his crow's mouth and gambler's mentality boosted morale, as the saying goes, the emperor is not short of hungry soldiers. It's not enough to just talk the talk. It's really useless if you don't throw real money at it.

boom! As soon as these words came out, the soldiers present immediately went into a rage. They said to themselves that the old man, Prince, is so interesting. He is really anxious for me to wait for him! Have a better New Year's Eve now!

Although a quarter of the Manchu Qing's annual fiscal revenue came from Jiangnan, garrisoning the Eight Banners did not bring much benefit. Because the Qing government did not allow garrison bannermen and their families to buy property and do business, they could only earn their living wages to support their families.

In this era, a family is not a family of three in later generations. It is common for three or four generations of grandparents to live under the same roof. Families with a small population range from three or four to seven or eight people, and families with a large population range from eight or nine to more than 20 people. mouth.

Take an ordinary cavalry soldier stationed in the Eight Banners at Jingkou as an example. He is paid 24 taels of silver per year, 36 taels of horse dry silver (only the cavalry is issued, not the water camp infantry), and 30 shi per year. If there is a hereditary minor title - such as Yunqiwei, you can get an additional 85 taels every year.

You must know that the number of armored troops stationed by the Qing government in various places under the Eight Banners was fixed. For example, the number of armored personnel in Jingkou was 1600, and that in Jiangning was 4666. The problem is that the population of Jiangning City is now as high as to . It does not mean that a few young men in the family can all be armored. Only when there are vacancies will there be a chance. And if there is no shortage, they can only eat at home and wait to die.

After the rise of Beihai Town, the Manchu Qing Dynasty expanded the scale of raising soldiers in various cities. But if the soldiers do not go into battle, they can only get 12 taels of silver per year, and rice is five stones, eight buckets, nine liters, nine combined and two spoons.

Rice is cheap in the south of the Yangtze River. The money and grain can certainly keep the family full, but people can't live just for food, right? It costs money to get a wife, money to exchange favors, money to celebrate holidays, and even money to buy firewood.

Apart from other things, there are many families in the Eight Banners of Jingkou who have no choice but to postpone the marriages that have already been arranged because they have no money to collect the necessary gifts. Now that I have this money, I can prepare betrothal gifts and prepare for the wedding when I go back.

More than half an hour later, under the command of Mian En, the Qing army armed with money launched a second attack on Suiyuan.

This time, Mian'en did not send a large group of troops to press forward. Instead, he selected 60 elite warriors from the armored soldiers and divided them into two small teams, led by guards Wu Ni and Lan Chun respectively.

The men and horses led by Wu Ni entered the vegetable field on the east side of Suiyuan from the dry river bank, and then followed the bamboo wall into the Peach Blossom Embankment. If everything went well, the large group of men and horses behind would press up. The team led by Lan Chun headed west from the Hongtu Bridge and went straight to the main entrance of Suiyuan.

1. "Su Tuo" is a silver ingot cast in Jiangsu in the early and mid-Qing Dynasty. It is different from the Taizhou Yuanbao commonly seen in later generations. It is a silver ingot with a hemispherical bottom, a flat surface, a nipple in the center, and a large number of ring-shaped silk patterns on the surface. 2. Some people may ask, wouldn’t a lot of land be enclosed when the Eight Banners entered the customs? Well, most of the enclosed land was returned in the middle of Kangxi, so the income from the land was replaced by official grain and rice.