The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 83 Trip to Chang'an ([-])
The Qi State Army Headquarters Building is located in the northeast of Xuanwu District, Chang'an. It is built on a hillside. The main building, side buildings and back building are connected in a four-in-one layout. The main door is a traditional five-bay cantilevered main entrance, facing the main building.The main building is in the form of a city tower, with a castle-style five-story bell tower protruding in the middle. Brick oriental columns and arches are used to form surrounding verandahs, triangular trusses, and gray eaves roofs. Gray board siding and arch combination.

In the square in front of the main building, there are two flagpoles of more than 20 meters standing, holding the Imperial Yellow Dragon Flag and the Army Flag respectively, fluttering in the gentle breeze.

Looking from a distance, the entire army headquarters building looks grand and majestic, with a dignified and solemn military atmosphere vaguely exuding.

Li Yanliang paused for a moment in front of the army headquarters building, then took a deep breath and walked towards the guard post in front of the building.

When several guards saw Li Yanliang approaching, they immediately put their feet together, stood at attention with their guns in hand, paid him a military salute, and then looked at him with a scrutinizing look on their faces.

Li Yanliang handed over the transfer order from the army headquarters and the certificate issued by the Xizhou garrison to the leading officer on duty one by one.

After the officer on duty carefully checked Li Yanliang's transfer order and identity certificate, he nodded and asked him to enter the lounge next to him and wait for a while.Then hand the transfer order to a guard, order him to enter the building, and submit it to the corresponding responsible department.

"Brother, you also come to work at the headquarters?"

There were already seven or eight officers waiting to be received in the duty room. When they saw Li Yanliang coming in, the conversation stopped immediately and they all turned their attention to him.An imperial martial arts captain (captain) sitting next to him stepped aside, greeted him with a smile, and made an empty seat.

"Yes, sir."

"Where did you work before?"

"My humble post was previously serving in the garrison in Western India."

"Oh?" The imperial martial arts captain couldn't help but look him up and down after hearing this, with a hint of sarcasm on his lips, "Why, they are cooperating with the Persian expeditionary force to attack Afghanistan. The fighting is lively, but you return to the homeland. Official position?"

"Yes, sir." Li Yanliang's face stiffened when he heard his questioning tone, and he suddenly felt a little dissatisfied.

Could it be that you think I am greedy and afraid of death, and would run away from a fight?
I was a little baffled when I received this transfer order!

"Speaking of the ongoing Persian war, how long do you think it will last?" A Linghui captain (lieutenant colonel) said with a smile: "We are all colleagues in the army, and there is no need to pay attention to our military ranks. Speak freely and express your opinions."

"This time our Qi State dispatched more than [-] troops to defeat another Afghan tribal armed force with extremely backward weapons and equipment. I believe that Isfahan will be conquered in a short period of time, and the Afghan rebels will be wiped out. Finally, It will help the Safavid dynasty re-establish its rule in Persia. This time should not exceed six months at most. Moreover, most of this time is probably wasted on long-distance marches!"

"It shouldn't be difficult to defeat the Afghan tribal rebels in six months, but it may be impossible to annihilate them all. As far as I know, after Afghanistan captured Isfahan, in a very short period of time, He successively conquered several surrounding provinces, and then used force to coerce and recruit many local powerful factions to surrender, controlling almost half of the territory in Persia, and established the Hotak Dynasty without hesitation."

"Yes, I also think that six months may not be able to completely calm down the situation in Persia. You know, most of the Afghan tribal rebels who invaded Persia were cavalry troops. After they captured Isfahan, their power will definitely expand. Even if Their cavalry has not undergone a large-scale expansion, but it is certainly not weak in terms of logistical mobility. As a result, although our Qi army is powerful in combat, it is estimated that it will still be somewhat difficult to carry out a truly annihilating attack on them."

"Don't forget, in addition to helping the Safavid dynasty expel the Afghans, we also need to use force to deter the Ottoman Empire and Tsarist Russia from invading the western and northwest regions of Persia, forcing them to withdraw from Persia. In this way, the expeditionary force must There will be extremely difficult challenges ahead.”

"Do you think that if the Afghan tribal rebels are defeated by our expeditionary force that landed in Persia, will they turn around and flee back to Afghanistan, relying on the rugged mountains to fight a long-lasting guerrilla war with us? If so, Not to mention six months, even two or three years will not be able to completely eliminate the Afghan tribal rebels."

"When you say that, it's really possible. Afghanistan's special terrain is very suitable for guerrilla warfare. On the other hand, our Qi army is not suitable for launching large-scale attacks in this mountainous terrain, let alone maintaining the logistical support of our army. If this fight starts, it may take a long time, and it may drag on for three to five years.”

"What do you think of Colonel Renyong (Lieutenant)?" The Colonel Linghui turned to look at Li Yanliang.

"Me?" Li Yanliang was startled for a moment, then quickly organized the thoughts in his mind, and said: "Sir, colleagues, our Qi State formed an expeditionary army to attack the Afghan tribal rebels in order to restore the Safavid dynasty in power. The rule of Persia safeguards our Qi's major interests in the Gulf region, and at the same time consolidates our Qi's hegemony in the entire Indian Ocean region. If the Afghans escape back to Kandahar, I think it is better to leave them to fend for themselves, and there is no need to send a large army into Afghanistan. , only increases consumption.”

"Huh?...According to your statement, it means that my expeditionary army can drive the Afghan tribe rebels out of Persia? In this case, wouldn't it mean that the evil has not been eliminated and the snake will not be killed?"

"Precisely because of the threat from the Afghans, it is justifiable for our country of Qi to station troops in Persia and control key places in its territory." Li Yanliang said softly.

"Oh? So, our country, Qi, dispatched the Indian garrison troops and joined forces with the Karat Khanate army to invade Afghanistan. Why are you here?" the captain of Linghui asked calmly.

"The invasion of Afghanistan by the Western Route Coalition Forces of Qi State will naturally threaten the Afghan people's retreat. But more importantly, we need to support several tribal armed forces who are close to our country of Qi in the local area, so as to intervene in the situation in Afghanistan and exert pressure on us. Qi's influence. Instead of rushing the army into Afghanistan in an attempt to annihilate the country. You must know that the rebels who invaded Persia and almost destroyed the Safavid dynasty are just one of the many tribal armed forces in Afghanistan. Let's work together There is no need for the country to include all tribes within its territory within the scope of the attack. This is neither necessary nor inevitable for us."

"You mean, even if our Qi army invades Afghanistan, it should be done briefly without getting deeply involved?"

"Sir, the Mughal Empire sent its troops to invade Afghanistan and the Bukhara Khanate 80 years ago, with the intention of bringing that vast area under the jurisdiction of the Mughal Empire. It is reported that the war lasted for several years and cost a lot of money. We lost tens of millions of rupees to the Mughal Empire, but in the end gained nothing. Instead, we suffered heavy losses and had to retreat to Delhi. Although, today is different from the past, and our military in Qi is stronger than that of the Mughal Empire, but we We need to reflect on ourselves: Is it really necessary to completely destroy and conquer this mountainous country? What can we gain from it?"

"What do you get? Since ancient times, the major affairs of the country have been sacrifices and military affairs. Since our country of Qi dominated the Indian Ocean, we have subdued the barbarians and conquered all the enemies. Naturally, we want to establish our country of Qi's illustrious martial arts." A benevolent and brave captain He said excitedly: "If we just drive out the invading Afghan tribe rebels from Persia, without plowing their holes and giving them a devastating blow, how can we show the power of Qi? Furthermore, we Qi State has been managing India for decades and has become a monopoly, which is the core interest of Qi State. If we want to ensure its absolute security, we must control Afghanistan to protect the north. In this case, what will happen to our Qi State army? Not to enter Afghanistan in a big way? At the very least, we need to subdue some of the most powerful tribes in the region to form an effective deterrent."

"That's right!" said the imperial martial arts captain (captain) sitting next to Li Yanliang: "If our army does not enter Afghanistan, we may make those navy people laugh again and think that we dare not go deep into the interior. , they are only willing to carry out military strikes along the coastline under the protection of their naval guns. We, the men of the Army, cannot afford to lose this person!"

"Sir, war cannot be carried out rashly based on whim!" Li Yanliang said unconvincingly: "You must know that any war involves the lives of thousands of brothers, and may also affect the future of the empire. You should be careful about your destiny."

"To expand the territory of the empire, why should the men in our army spare their lives? You know, every more war we fight now, the future generations will experience one less ordeal of blood and fire."

"You need to know that war depends on time, location, and people..."

"Renyong Colonel (Lieutenant) Li Yanliang!"

Li Yanliang was about to continue arguing with him when suddenly an officer on duty came in and called out loudly.

"To!"

"General Lu, the Chief of Staff, wants to see you."

"Thank you." Li Yanliang turned around and nodded to the many officers in the room to apologize, and then followed the officer on guard duty out of the lounge. "Hey, what is the identity of Colonel Renyong? He was summoned into the building just a short time ago. Moreover, he was interviewed by the chief of staff in person!"

"Most likely he is the son of a high-ranking official or noble."

"What do you mean? These dandy boys sneak into the army and can only talk nonsense. If they really want to go to the battlefield, they will not have diarrhea!"

"What are you all making wild guesses about?...I think his analysis of the situations in Persia and Afghanistan just now was quite insightful."

"..."

Although the Qi Army is small in size, its structure is very complete. It is divided into combat headquarters, general staff department, logistics equipment department and training and mobilization department.

The General Staff, which is responsible for both combat command and military administration, has always been the most powerful department of the Army. Its main responsibilities are to collect and provide intelligence, formulate and organize the implementation of strategic campaign plans and mobilization plans, and command and coordinate various services and It is responsible for the combat operations of various war zones and armed organizations, and is responsible for the organizational construction, equipment planning, military training and administrative management of the army.

At this time, Lu Hongbin, as the Chief of the General Staff and General of the Army Hussars (General), was sitting on a soft chair, looking at the captain in front of him with interest across the heavy desk.

"Li Yanliang?"

"I am humble!"

"You have served for four years since graduating from Daxing Army School in the 16th year of Taiping (1720)."

"Yes, General!"

"Judging from the comments of the various officers in the unit where you work, your performance is pretty good."

"Thank you for the compliment, General!"

"What are your expectations for your own development?"

"Don't expect too much from your humble position, just obey the arrangements of the headquarters!"

"Oh?" Lu Hongbin looked at the young captain with interest, "With your experience, how come you don't miss him at all?"

"..." Li Yanliang pursed his lips, said nothing, and continued to stand in awe.

"Haha..." Lu Hongbin smiled and then said: "The General Staff is going to transfer you to join the staff as the staff officer of the Equipment Planning Department. Do you have any opinions?"

"I'm humble and obey the orders!"

"In view of your outstanding performance in the army and your many military exploits, you will be promoted to the rank of Imperial Military Academy Lieutenant (Captain) in the near future. I hope that you will not forget the thought of serving the country, fulfill your duties, and make new contributions to the empire and the army." .”

"Thank you, General!"

"Well, you go."

"..." Li Yanliang saluted Lu Hongbin with a military salute, but did not leave immediately. Instead, he hesitated as if he wanted to ask something.

"Do you still have questions?"

"I would like to ask..." Li Yanliang hesitated for a moment, and then boldly asked: "I would like to ask, is this transfer and promotion because of my... family background?"

"Huh?...Then let me ask you, have your previous military performance and military exploits ever depended on your family background and background?"

"I serve in the military in a humble position, and I have never had any selfish thoughts!"

"Then I can also tell you that the General Staff did not have any selfish motives for your transfer and promotion!" Lu Hongbin said seriously: "In my eyes, Lu, there is only fairness and justice. I don't care if you are a member of the royal family. You are still a son of a high-ranking noble, but if you want to join our army, you must follow military regulations and rules, without exception!"

"General, I understand your humble position!" Li Yanliang saluted Lu Hongbin again, then turned and left.

"Oh, fair and just?" After Li Yanliang left the room, Lu Hongbin leaned gently on the soft chair and sneered, "If you were not the grandson of the late Princess Le'an and His Majesty's nephew, what are you afraid of at this time? He is still digging in the ravine in the Afghan war zone."

"Dong dong!" There was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Lu Hongbin sat up straight and looked up at the door.

"General, there is a message from Qianzhou (South Africa)." A Xuangjie captain (major) quickly walked up to Lu Hongbin, saluted him with a military salute, handed him a piece of information, and said solemnly: "Three months Recently, an armed conflict broke out between the South African Squadron of the Navy’s West Indian Ocean Fleet and a British ship in the Gulf of Guinea.”

"Oh? What caused it?"

"Several British slave-catching ships were about to land in the Kingdom of Huida near the Gulf of Guinea to purchase slaves. They were intercepted by our naval ships. During the confrontation, the two sides may have clashed without restraint. People from the Navy Department are conducting emergency consultations. We may request orders to dispatch more warships to West Africa to meet emergencies."

"Haha..." Lu Hongbin smiled, "In the entire European region, the United Kingdom is the leading country that has imposed a trade ban on our products. The cabinet government has long been dissatisfied with this and ordered the minister to the United Kingdom to conduct several rounds of negotiations with the United Kingdom. , but no satisfactory results have been obtained. This conflict may turn into a war."

(End of this chapter)