The Red Mansions Across the Four Seas

Chapter 616

Although the recruitment of Jia Min and Chang An was done in secret, news spread quickly.

The failure of the imperial court to recruit security made people realize that a decisive battle between the two sides is inevitable.The officials and people of the imperial capital fell into panic again.

On February [-]th of the second year of Tianshun, a ship sent by Chen Yejun arrived at Niuzhuang in southern Liaoning. They brought important materials such as silver and copper that he and Feng Ziying had obtained from the south, and solved the problem of raw materials urgently needed for mass production of bullets.

On February [-], Chen Yejun led the second and third regiments of the Beihai Volunteer Army, landed in Weihaiwei, Shandong, and approached Zhili.

On the sixth day of March, He Jialin, Zhou Tong, and Ma Qingshan, who were previously defeated in the northwest, regrouped and made a comeback.

This time, they recruited a total of [-] soldiers and horses, officially playing the banner of the Restoration Army, and serving Princess Chang'an as the main.

At present, the Northwest Restoration Army has entered Datong.

On the ninth day of March, Chu Yuanji, the former governor of Dade Zhili, led the original remnants of 7000 people, plus 2 soldiers and horses newly recruited from Henan, Shaanxi and other places, a total of 5 people, known as [-] people, started Go to Zhili.

Along the way, he issued a call to action, vowing to crusade against the traitors of the San Francisco and restore the great virtues, and played the banner of the Restoration Army, and served Princess Chang'an as the main one.

At present, except for parts of Li Gan in Bashu, Zhili, the imperial capital, and the area west of Shanhaiguan, which are still under the control of the San Francisco, the rest of the places have all fallen under the control of the Restoration Army and the Beihai Volunteer Army.

Due to the loss of the two most important sources of taxation in Gwangju and Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the imperial court's revenue was almost cut off.The current expenses are already beyond our means.

The military salary has not been paid for three months, and the officials' salaries have not been paid for three months.

In the army, war weariness and disappointment began to spread, and soldiers and even officers deserted.

Some of the officials and servants in the yamen have disappeared, and most of them are still working on errands, and most of them are working on errands.

On March [-]th, there was another news from the imperial capital,

The right servant of the Ministry of War, the family of Hou Xiaolian, the grandson of Hou Guogong of the former Dade Dynasty, suddenly disappeared overnight.

Shi Guangzhu, the grandson of the former Dade Emperor Shan Guogong, who was formerly the minister of the Ministry of Rites and is now the Minister of the Ministry of Officials, was seized by the Jinyi Army when he led his family to sneak out of the imperial capital.Emperor Longyan of Tianshun was furious, and ordered his whole family to be beheaded at Caishikou for public display.

So far, in the original system of the four kings and eight princes who were the founders of the Dade Dynasty, all the eight princes have disappeared.

San Francisco among the four kings is currently struggling to support half of the country, and the remaining king of Beijing, Shui Rong, is currently supporting Princess Chang'an in Shengjing.

At the same time, in the Jiangnan, Northeast, and Northwest Dade Shilin, scholars have begun to publicly discuss Wu Zetian's achievements.

During Wu Zetian's reign, the achievements of developing agriculture and conquering Tubo, the Western Regions, and Khitan were repeatedly mentioned.

Especially when Wu Zetian was in power, regardless of his background, he expanded the scale of the imperial examination, greatly increased the number of people admitted to the imperial examination, and personally interviewed the imperial examination talents in the palace.

Although scholars in the imperial capital did not dare to discuss it publicly, both the Imperial Academy and the Imperial College also discussed Wu Zetian in private.

These are all regarded as public opinion preparations for Chang'an to be emperor.

In the streets and alleys of various places, there are still children singing the ballad "Chang'an, Chang'an, long-term peace and stability."

In the ancient capital of Chang'an, Shaanxi, even more auspicious news came.

It is said that many local people have seen a phoenix flying over Qishan Mountain.This is not only the reappearance of the ancient legend of Fengming Qishan, but also the auspiciousness of Chang'an's upcoming empress, which shows that Chang'an's empress is the destiny of heaven.

Some local governments, which had been on the sidelines before, are now the most active.The local officials came forward one after another, asking Chang'an to ascend the throne as soon as possible and restore the great virtues.

Jia Min fought against the Mogu people, crippling the Mogu people and severely wounding the barbarians in the north and northwest, making them no longer dare to covet the Central Plains, so the pressure on the north and northwest frontiers suddenly increased. lighten.

Wuwei General Yue Qifeng, who had been on the sidelines until now, issued a call to action, led [-] soldiers and horses, raised troops to serve the king, played the banner of the recovery army, and supported Chang'an as the master of the world.

General Wuwei is the most important general in the northwest frontier, and he is well-known in the frontier.His actions inspired other frontier generals to follow suit, and they all played the banner of the Restoration Army to support Chang'an.

In order to raise military pay, Han Tiandou decreed that the major families and princes and ministers in the imperial capital would donate silver and gifts, and the tax revenue of merchants would be increased by [-]%.

A large number of civilians were recruited to build defensive cities in Zhili and the imperial capital.The young and strong were conscripted into the army to expand the army.

Food prices in the imperial capital began to soar, while the market prices of real estate and gold plummeted.

The Wucheng Bingma Division and Shuntian Mansion have stepped up inspections of the city gates to prevent the outflow of people.Immigrant population around the imperial capital who wanted to enter the city was also prohibited from entering the city, so they had to stay outside the city, forming a new gathering area.

While the locals were bustling with activity, Jia Min, who had previously defeated the Ningguta Army and the Northeast Defenders, swept across Koryo, and maimed the Mogu people, remained silent for several months.

The [-]rd and [-]th Brigade of the Beihai Volunteer Army, the South Wendura Cavalry, and the North Wendura Cavalry did not make any moves.

The outside world has not seen any of their actions. In their residences, especially Guanxiangtun, the past few months have actually been very lively.

This kind of excitement, one is training, and the other is the production of the arsenal.

In the battle against the Mogus, the ammunition Baochai brought from Beihai and the inventory of the arsenal were almost exhausted.

No war has been launched in the past few months. First, it needs to rest and replenish troops.The second is to wait for ammunition.The third is to wait for the progress of Feng Ziying and Chen Yejun's southern war.

This is also Jia Min's last choice.

After withdrawing troops from Heishuitun in the first lunar month and returning to Shengjing, the King of Beijing and Bachelor Ji have been inciting Jia Min to attack Shanhaiguan, and then drive straight into the imperial capital to fight the decisive battle with San Francisco.

Later, Chang'an was also tempted, and he also urged Jia Min tactfully.

However, Jia Min resolutely rejected them all.

At this time, Jia Min, Wei Ruolan, Jiao Li, Liu Cheng, Jia Lian, Chen Yeqing, Dai Zhi and others were in the arsenal.

The original Hu family compound has expanded more than three times.On the edge of the courtyard wall, a long shed was newly built, filled with ammunition.

"Now these ammunition can last for a while, thank you, Mr. Dai."

"Officer Min, you're being polite. This is what the old man should do. Seeing the boxes of ammunition coming out every day makes the old man happier than anything else."

"These are not enough, we have to continue to produce. It is because of insufficient ammunition that we caused such heavy casualties last time at the Mogs, and such things will never happen again in the future."

"That's right, our soldiers are all invaluable. It's really not worth fighting with them with sabers, bows and arrows."

Wei Ruolan took the opportunity to interject.

A group of people talked, entered the house, and began to drink tea.

As soon as he entered the room and sat down, Changan came with Lichun and Zuo Linliang.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Chang'an got to the point.

"When does Chief Min plan to attack Shanhaiguan?"

"Don't worry, wait a little longer. When soldiers and horses from all over the country are approaching the imperial capital, it will not be too late to attack."

"I came here this time because I have one thing to ask for advice from Chief Min."

Chang An seemed to hesitate for a moment, but he still said it out.

"Your Highness, you don't have to be polite, just say something."

Now, the relationship between Jia Min and Chang'an is relatively close.However, in front of outsiders, the two still kept a proper distance.

"The people on my side thought that you were the ones who fought the previous big battles and vicious battles, and they didn't make much contribution. The people here need to rest and recuperate during the expedition to Mog, so they want to take some responsibility and prepare for it. Fight more."

"They want to attack Shanhaiguan, right?"

"Exactly, so I came here to ask if it is feasible."

"They are not under my control. They can fight wherever they want. However, from a personal point of view, I advise you not to rush to attack Shanhaiguan. If they really want to fight, I will not stop them. I hope they can win. But , I will not go here with Wendura people."

"So, I'll go back and discuss it with them."

After sending off Chang'an, everyone returned to the house.

"It seems that Luo Xingshan and Liu Huaide want to take advantage of this opportunity to get more credit."

Wei Ruolan got to the point right away.

"Yeah, they didn't have any decent record before. The situation here is almost all brought down by us. Now that we see troops rising from all over the country, I think San Francisco is already a sick cat, and we can take advantage of it."

Jia Lian's knowledge is not bad either.

"I don't think it's wise for them to attack Shanhaiguan. Shanhaiguan is surrounded by mountains and the sea, and the pass is strong. They don't have firearms, so it is difficult to conquer. Even if they manage to fight down, they will suffer heavy casualties."

Chen Yeqing also joined the analysis.

"They are different from us. They don't care much about the casualties of soldiers. They always think that there is no one else, so they can recruit and recruit casually. They don't know that some recruits are not very useful. In a team, there are no experienced veterans. Not much fighting power. Chief Min, I don’t think their battle is going well, what do you think?”

Wei Ruolan looked at Jia Min inquiringly.

"If they want to fight, let them fight. There are some things that you have to suffer a little before you understand."

Jia Min smiled lightly, obviously unwilling to care about these matters.

"Yeah, don't they want to grab credit, let them take it. They need military credit, but we don't. If they wipe out San Francisco, it will save us from taking action."

Chen Yeqing seemed to take it easy.

"They probably think that we always win battles, and that the enemy is nothing more than that. They don't know that watching others fight is not the same as fighting themselves. They have seen our victories, and we have trained and prepared for war, and made ammunition. It seems that they have neglected their skills and the silver they spent."

"Isn't it just seeing wolves eating meat but not seeing wolves being beaten?"

"The soldiers and horses of the San Francisco were considered elite when they were in Dade. Although they are not our opponents, it is still not easy for Liu Huaide and the others to win."

"Forget it, don't worry about them. Before the San Francisco was defeated, they started to have selfish intentions. It's good to let them suffer a little bit. What should we do? I'll treat you to a drink today."

"Officer Min invites you to drink, but you have to drink a few glasses."

Everyone relaxed and ignored the matter of the Liberation Army.

(End of this chapter)