Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1732 Jiangnan Strategy

"The current situation on the land of China is really tormenting." In late August 1676, when the navy on the east coast of the Yellow Sea had just begun to surround Xiangshui Port, the situation in the Ningshao Plain in the south was overwhelming. It is still developing in full swing, and there is no sign of a truce between the East Bank, the King of Lu, and the Qing Dynasty. Even later, even Guo Shian, the Shunjun in Jiangxi—Guo Sheng, the Jiangxi Jiedushi of Dashun, After Guo Sheng died of illness last year, he served as Jiangxi Jieduliu—the tens of thousands of people in his troops also began to mobilize to the Jiangxi-Anhui border. The meaning is unknown, but it was enough to make the Qing army very nervous.

However, the Shun army in Jiangxi is not without worries. One is Hubei and Anhui across the river (similar to Jiangsu, the provinces where the Qing Dynasty was established, and the capital is Anqing). The Qing army will not sit idly by. Blocking the river, they can call over at any time; on the other hand, although Li Chengdong in Guangdong is over seventy years old, he still has a grudge against Guo Sheng who snatched food and snatched the Ganzhou mansion back then. He has been negotiating with Shun Guo to get the The relationship between the two sides was extremely tense at one time, and the two sides still have heavy troops stationed on the border, facing each other from afar.

It can be said that if we want to liberate the forces of the Jiangxi Shun Army, the Ganzhou issue must be resolved in advance, otherwise it will be a major hidden danger. One day, Li Chengdong's brain will be twitched, new and old hatreds will come up, and he will order troops to attack Ganzhou. They are also currently facing a lot of pressure from Fujian Zheng's.

"The relationship among Shun, Qing, and Ming countries is already very complicated, and the interests of local warlords are mixed in. If this is really done in an all-round way, it will be a mess. Teacher Bo, in the face of such a situation, What is the plan of the higher-ups?" Xinchang County Magistrate Min Honggui made a pot of tea for Bogdan himself, and asked cautiously.

Although Min Honggui is an official in the civil service system, his rank is not low, and he is a high-ranking county magistrate in Xinchang and Shengxian counties, but in the final analysis, the situation in Shaoxing Prefecture is complicated and wars are frequent, and most of the time we have to rely on this combat style The second division of the new army must be vicious, so when facing them, Min Honggui always bowed his head unconsciously and spoke cautiously.

Bogdan took a sip from his teacup, then sighed and put it down, and said, "It's a pity that my favorite New Spanish coffee is discontinued, otherwise the days are not so happy. Damn, I doubt the delivery of New Spanish coffee now." Did the sailing boat in Manila be built by the navy gang on the way, so that I can only drink tea for half a year."

"The navy should not be so bold as to rob and kill the Spaniards. This is meaningless and does not conform to the orders of the superiors. It is said that in the mainland, the Spanish towns of Peru and New Spain 'send' a large amount of money to us every year. Since they are friendly You can earn money lying down, so why bother to beat and kill? The Manila sailing boat missed its return, and perhaps there was a disaster at sea. This is a normal thing.” Min Honggui also soaked himself A cup of tea, while sipping lightly, said.

"That's right. Although those bastards are snobbish and greedy for money, they don't seem like they would disobey orders at will. That Liu Fubo is even more cautious, so he shouldn't be so brainless. We have already gotten so bad with the Dutch red hair , there is really no need to add new enemies. The Spaniards in Luzon Island are also aware of the matter and have begun to export grain, sulfur and nitrate to us. Although the quantity is limited, this attitude is very important. In short, it is more pleasing to the eye than the Dutch Too many." Bogdan smiled and said, "Major Min, let me tell you the truth. In fact, the higher-ups really don't have any plans. It's all up to the point of hitting. This may sound a bit disrespectful." , but it is true that the last order I received was actually the order issued by Commander Ma to hold on to the Xinsheng Basin and hold back the main force of the Qing army. Soldiers and horses were transferred to Shaoxing to resist our army and Zhang Huangyan. The garrisons, food, and young men of other prefectures and counties were also transferred a lot. As a result, Lieutenant Colonel Junio ​​and the others were given the opportunity to plunder a large amount of property and people at once. , beat the Qing army dizzy. Now, look, the elite army headed by the Seventh Mixed Battalion has returned to Ningbo, and the Fifth Division of the New Army has gone out for a walk. The spirits of the officers and soldiers are indeed quite different , I heard that Commander Ma has ordered the division to be supplemented with officers, non-commissioned officers, recruits, and ordnance, trying to complete the establishment and become another pillar of the Southern Exploration Team's jurisdiction."

"Since the [-]th Mixed Battalion and the [-]th Division of the New Army have returned, your mission has almost been completed, right? Then there is no instruction for the next move? Ah, yes, the Tartars on the opposite side have never retreated. If they don't leave, we still have to guard this line of defense. However, the Seventh Mixed Battalion should be called up with elite soldiers, and we should also have some fun for the Tartar army on the opposite side, otherwise they will always be here with heavy troops. It's annoying to watch." Min Honggui also said with a smile.

"No one knows the behavior of the Seventh Mixed Battalion. Only Commander Liao in Denglai can give orders to this first-class elite. If Commander Ma in Yin County wants to instruct them to do something, they can only negotiate and cannot forcefully demand. Yes. But I don’t want the battalion to come to Xinchang and Shengxian. The situation here is just like this. If Shengxian is thrown to the Tartars, let’s throw it away. After we tighten our fists, the Tartars will not be able to do anything to us for a while; The army of King Lu in the west is numerous and powerful, and there are gentry in the local area who are in harmony with them. Therefore, although their combat power is not very good, and they suffer defeat every three days, they cannot be driven out even if they fight. Zhuji County has always been controlled by Zhang Huangyan, so you can understand that the Tartars are exhausted!" Bogdan said firmly: "At this time, I actually hope that the Seventh Mixed Battalion will launch an offensive in the area of ​​​​Hangzhou Bay. It is much more effective than rushing here, and it can mobilize the Qing army."

"Where does he go? Now I'm thinking about when this Xinchang County will be able to turn the crisis into safety. You must know that the people are still evacuated. If you rush back as soon as possible, you can resume production as soon as possible. Shengxian County, which was abandoned, has also recovered, so that we can control more territory and population." After hearing this, Min Honggui said: "Of course I also know that this matter is not that simple, so it all makes sense, alas."

While Bogdan and Min Honggui were discussing the Seventh Mixed Battalion and the Fifth Division of the New Army, at the dock of Dinghai County, they had just inspected the first textile factory in the jurisdiction - built on the riverside and driven by water power. Although the spinning machines and looms are relatively old technology and equipment, they are also a great breakthrough in terms of policy. Ma Wenqiang, the captain of the Southern Exploration Team and Southern Security Commander, is in the customs with the Confucian Lieutenant Colonel Neo had a long conversation.

The focus of their conversation is much higher than that of Bogdan and Min Honggui, the two local military and political officials. After all, their levels are different.In this conversation, Lieutenant Colonel Junio ​​bluntly asked what the grand strategy is, that is, which principle the southern pioneers should uphold in the southern situation that has become chaotic again.

"As far as I know, as European merchants are now more and more frequently involved in trade with the Qing Dynasty, Commander Liao believes that the already fragile balance between the North and the South has been broken, and it is time to launch a new round of attacks on the southern regimes. This kind of assistance is all-encompassing, from economic system reform to military system reform, from industrial technology (of course, the early technology that has been eliminated locally) to the cultivation of management talents, just as the Qing Dynasty received many from the Netherlands, Germany and Technicians, officers and craftsmen in England are the same. In fact, this kind of operation has slowly shown its clues more than three years ago. The second technical transformation of the large workshop Li Laiheng built in Changsha had our help. This time we sold 48 old-style hydraulic machines in one go, all of which were the last batch of second-hand products eliminated in China, but for Shunguo, which can be called a technological desert, it is still a big pill, because it has greatly improved Their ordnance manufacturing capabilities. It is unimaginable to fight against the Qing army on the front line in Hubei without sufficient logistical supply guarantee. We cannot be nannies for the rest of our lives, so we can only let them learn to stand up by themselves." Ma Wenqiang sat behind the desk, talking to Junio.

"But isn't this contrary to the principle of delaying the export of technology to the mainland as much as possible? I think the technology and even the craftsmen sold by the Dutch and the English to the Qing Dynasty at a high price are not very advanced. For example, many of the hydraulic machine tools we transferred to Changsha, Europe Not without it, but if it is popularized on a large scale, I don’t think so? This has greatly improved the technological capabilities of the Shun country. In the long run, is it really good? Don’t you worry that if the country is unified and formed A nationwide market, and then relying on these technologies to develop rapidly? Why do I think this is playing with fire?" Lieutenant Colonel Junio ​​was a little puzzled, so he asked a question.And the question he asked is indeed crucial, and it is also what many people worry about.

"This involves what is the highest interest of our country in the Far East? And - the most important significance of the existence of our three pioneering teams. Although it is bitter, I still have to say that compared to completing the task of immigrant transportation, other Everything is unimportant, including the projects we have worked so hard to win. In the eyes of the members of the executive committee, they are all dispensable. What they pay attention to is always only the population! And if they want to continue to achieve long-term stability With a huge population, the land of China cannot be unified. Once they are unified, we who occupy Ningbo and Denglai will become the only enemy. When the time comes, I can assure you that the Dutch, English, Portuguese, and even the French will stand firmly on the side of the unified regime and attack us in order to gain trade benefits for themselves. Ma Wenqiang said: "In addition, from my personal point of view, I don't think the Chinese can get anything from these technological gifts. Basic technological improvement may be possible-of course it may be abandoned-but in this Going one step further on the basis, and then carrying out the innovation of production methods and even lifestyles based on this? No, no, no, this is too difficult, because they have too many entanglements from culture, tradition, and concepts. According to the local words, it is' Too much negative equity is not conducive to their innovation in production relations, unless there is a thorough cultural innovation. You see, our local area is a blank slate, and the annual investment in publicity and education is even greater. Massive, just like this, there are still a lot of backward, conservative, and ignorant people. Qing people or Shun people, hehe, if they don’t close their doors, maybe after 100 years, they will slowly evolve and their social culture will be refreshed. At that time I don’t know how much we have developed on the East Coast, can the Chinese really match it?”

"So our strategy in Jiangnan, China is still to 'make trouble' around, hold back, and keep the southern regimes? To be honest, there are almost no changes compared with many years ago, which is very boring. The Southern Exploration Team wants to expand their territory. Have some scruples, alas, it’s too difficult to do something while dancing in shackles.” Hearing this, Lieutenant Colonel Junio ​​was a little frustrated, only to hear him say again: “And I always feel that if I continue to play like this, sooner or later One day the situation will collapse. After all, the members of the Executive Committee are far away thousands of miles away. It always feels a bit—well, child’s play to want to control the situation in mainland China. Did anyone expect it? Yes, I know that some staff members have deduced this possibility, but to be honest, no one really took it seriously, especially Wu Sangui who led the army to march south with arrogance one moment, and the next moment his old nest was killed. People copied it, and I was sick in bed. Seeing that the foundation was about to fail. This kind of small probability can happen. To be honest, I don’t think it’s surprising no matter which direction the situation in mainland China develops. .”

"Well, I am a soldier, and I will abide by the grand strategy formulated by the superior no matter what. Now that Commander Liao and Commander Ma have reached an agreement, I have nothing to say, just do it! Next, I plan to form the seventh mixed battalion And the Fifth Division of the New Army gathered again, and then let the navy cooperate with us to go deep into the Yangtze River, fast in and fast out. If possible, we can even pull the troops to the front lines of Jiangxi and even Hubei to see if there is a chance to disgust the Qing people. "Speaking of which, Lieutenant Colonel Junio ​​stood up, with the general cap under his arm, and planned to leave, but before he left, he still couldn't help asking the last sentence: "Actually, I still want to know, if Shunguo Sichuan has really been captured, what should we do? Sit back and watch the Southern and Northern Dynasties appear?"

"Execute the order first, Confucian Battalion Commander, let's talk about the future. When did the Far East San Francisco have a long-term strategy?" Ma Wenqiang said with a wry smile: "Let's take one step at a time. By the way, don't forget to catch more People come back, this is the most important thing."

Lieutenant Colonel Junio ​​took a deep breath, then closed the door heavily, and left.

(End of this chapter)