Anti-Qing: Starting from the Reincarnation of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 158
After talking about the arrangements for Agui, Qianlong turned to Shu Hede and said.

"Appoint Shu Hede as Prime Minister for the Suppression of Bandits in the Southern Provinces. He will be responsible for managing the troops, horses, money and food in the southern provinces, and cooperate with Agui to suppress the puppet Ming bandits in Guangdong and Guangxi..."

It is obvious that Qianlong was decentralizing power.

Let Agui and Shuhede take charge of the elite troops dispatched from the north to the south, as well as the troops, horses, money and food from the southern provinces.

In order to share power and balance between the two, they will not be too big to lose.

Although Qianlong trusted Agui, he would not leave the entire southern army, money, and food to Agui to take charge of.

Otherwise, if Agui arrives in the south, he will support the bandits and delay the war.

Wouldn't Agui, who controls all the soldiers, horses, money and food in the entire south, become the de facto emperor of the south?
Regardless of whether Agui would do this based on his loyalty, Qianlong, as an emperor, had to nip it in the bud.

Otherwise, you are just asking for trouble for yourself again!
A mature emperor would not allow his subordinates to have too much power.

Even if he trusts this subordinate again, it won’t work!

After hearing this, Shu Hede stood up and said with fists in his hands.

"The slave obeys the order!"

Agui also spoke accordingly.

"The slave obeys the order!"

After Qianlong said this, he continued to ask.

"What do you think about the war in the south? How do you think the Qing Dynasty should suppress the thieves?"

Agui heard this and spoke.

"Your Majesty, I would like to tell you that my strategy for suppressing the Qing thieves should be based on the Ming thieves in Guangdong and Guangxi."

"As for the White Lotus Sect in Huguang, the chieftains in western Sichuan, and the bandits in Fujian, don't take it too seriously."

"If it weren't for the Ming thieves running rampant across Guangdong and Guangxi and drawing too much attention from the Qing Dynasty, these thieves would not even dare to cause trouble and would not be able to achieve success."

"As long as I, the Qing Dynasty, can wipe out the Ming thieves, the remaining thieves can also take advantage of the situation and defeat them one by one."

"But if I, the Qing Dynasty, go to quell the rest of the bandits first, we will further allow the Ming thieves to grow bigger. This is absolutely not advisable!"

"For me, the Qing Dynasty, the Ming thieves in Guangdong and Guangxi are the most serious problem. As for the other thieves, they are just scabies."

Agui's attitude was very clear: attack the Ming Dynasty first, and talk about other bandits later.

Because, in his eyes, the threat to Ming Dynasty is far greater than that of other thieves!
First, because the Ming Dynasty now occupies Guangdong and Guangxi, troops have entered Hunan and Guizhou, and destroyed the four provinces, it is indeed powerful, far superior to other rebel armies.

The second reason is because the Ming Dynasty is the Ming Dynasty!

It’s a bit convoluted to say, but just look at how many uprisings broke out with the slogan of anti-Qing and restoration of the Ming Dynasty during the Qing Dynasty, and you will know how much influence the Ming Dynasty had on the world.

How inciting to the people of the world.

It is precisely because of these that the Manchu and Qing courts were absolutely unable to accept the restoration of the Ming Dynasty, or even make it a big one.

Because once the Ming Dynasty became bigger, it would have a huge impact on the legitimacy of the Manchu Qing Dynasty and the legitimacy of its rule.

To put it bluntly, for the Manchus, other uprisings were only superficial damage.

But on the Ming side, the direct threat was the legal system of the Qing Dynasty!

But after hearing what A Gui said, Yu Minzhong expressed a different opinion.

"To report to the Emperor, I have other opinions."

Qianlong narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded.

"speak!"

Yu Minzhong said.

"The old minister believes that our Qing Dynasty should give priority to exterminating the religious bandits and Hui bandits, and then concentrate the main force to suppress the Ming bandits in Guangdong and Guangxi."

"Otherwise, the religious bandits and Hui bandits may take advantage of the main force of our Qing Dynasty to fight against the Ming thieves and threaten the hinterland of our Qing Dynasty."

"In case the Hunyuan Sect bandits go north from Yunyang, they will reach Henan. It is not that far from Henan to Zhili."

"If the religious bandits choose to go east from Yunyang, they can plunder Anhui and enter the south of the Yangtze River, threatening the financial and taxation center of the Qing Dynasty."

"And if the Tiandi Huihui bandits go north from Fujian, they can also go straight to the south of the Yangtze River. Once the south of the Yangtze River is destroyed, the consequences will be disastrous."

"We, the Qing Dynasty, must not lose Jiangnan's finances and taxes now."

When Qianlong heard this, he also showed a thoughtful expression. He had to admit that what Yu Minzhong, an old minister, said was reasonable.

Yu Minzhong continued.

"Also, the religious bandits are causing trouble in Hubei now, while the Ming thieves are attacking cities and territories in Hunan. Hunan is about to be lost."

"Once the situation in Hubei is completely corrupted, the Qing Dynasty will lose the entire Huguang."

"As the saying goes, if you are familiar with Huguang, you will be satisfied all over the world!"

"Once Huguang is lost, the capital's grain supply may no longer be available..."

As a soldier, Agui values ​​the overall situation of the war.

In his opinion, the Qing Dynasty must not allow the Ming thieves who pose the greatest threat to the court to continue to grow and develop.

As the military foreman of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, Yu Minzhong focused on the current political operation of the Qing court and the supply of money and food.

The Qing Dynasty can temporarily lose Guangdong and Guangxi, but it cannot lose Huguang and Jiangnan!
Both of them can't make mistakes, they just have different points of view.

After listening to the two people's opinions, Qianlong fell into deep thought. For a while, he couldn't make up his mind...

Qianlong subconsciously looked at Heshen and the imperial concubine, wanting to see what Heshen's opinion was.

Seeing this, He Shen kowtowed on the ground, stood up and said.

"When I return to the emperor, I think what the two adults said is reasonable."

He Shen has always been a good person, and he would not offend Minzhong and Agui, the two powerful factions in the court, for no reason.

After complimenting the two of them and setting the stage, he continued.

"As a slave, if I want to suppress thieves in the Qing Dynasty, I can let Master Agui and Master Shuhede perform different tasks respectively."

"Lord Agui can lead our main force of the Qing Dynasty to go south to Guangdong and Guangxi to deal with the Ming thieves, while Lord Shuhede can command the troops in the southern provinces to destroy the religious and religious bandits first."

"It won't be too late for Mr. Shu Hede to suppress the suppressing bandits and the Hui bandits, and then join forces with Mr. Agui to go south to suppress the Ming bandits in Guangdong and Guangxi."

Before Ah Gui heard this, Shu Hede spoke.

"But isn't this a division of troops?"

"The Ming thieves are inherently difficult to deal with, and their soldiers are very sharp. Otherwise, they would not be able to defeat the troops from the three provinces commanded by Fulong'an."

"If we, the Qing Dynasty, divide our forces, wouldn't this give the Ming thieves a chance to defeat each one?"

"When the Ming thieves were in Sarhu, wasn't it because Yang Hao rashly divided his troops and was defeated by the troops led by Emperor Taizu of the Qing Dynasty?"

Although Shuhede is not proficient in military affairs, he grew up listening to Nurhachi's legendary story of "No matter how many ways you come, I only go all the way."

Know that when facing a strong enemy, dividing your troops is never a good strategy!
When Qianlong heard this, he suddenly felt unhappy.

What does Shuhed think?Is it possible to treat the Ming thieves as heroes like Taizu of the Qing Dynasty?

The Ming thief leading the troops is nothing more than a yellow-haired boy!
He deserves it too? !

Why is a mere thief so cautious?
Qianlong tapped his fingers on the table, and after everyone looked over, he spoke.

"What He Shen said makes sense, so just do it as He Shen said!" Qianlong could never have imagined that such a small act of willpower on his part would sound the death knell for the Qing Dynasty...

When everyone saw this, they could only bow down one after another.

"Slaves/minions obey your orders!"

Then Shuhed continued to speak.

"Your Majesty, I have one more thing to report."

Qianlong heard this and nodded.

"What's the matter?"

Shuhed said.

"Back to the emperor, there is another important thing that came to the capital together with the report of Fulong'an's defeat. Before Fulong'an's defeat, he ordered people to report to the capital quickly."

"In the battle of Shaoguan, the Ming thieves drove our Eight Banners in front of the formation and captured several of our positions in the Qing Dynasty. This resulted in the defeat of Shaoguan."

"Although Fulong later set up an ambush and rescued those Eight Banners who fell into the hands of thieves, the outcome of the Battle of Shaoguan could not be changed in the end."

"This matter is of great importance. I feel it is necessary to report it to the Emperor and ask the Emperor to make up his mind."

Shuhed's meaning is very clear. If something like this happens again in the future, how should the generals leading the army deal with it?

You know, there is more than one Guangzhou city in the south now!
There are also Fuzhou, Jiangning, Jingzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu and other places...

What if the entire city in these areas is also breached, and the Eight Banners in the city fall into the hands of thieves, and are driven to the front by the thieves? What should the frontline generals do?
You can't be like Fulong'an and just sit back and watch the thieves drive away the Eight Banners and capture the strong fortress of the Qing Dynasty, right?

When Qianlong heard this, his face couldn't help but darken.

How should I put it? Although Shuhede's concern was reasonable, it still made Qianlong feel unhappy.

Because he felt betrayed by what the Eight Banners in Guangzhou did!
In Qianlong's view, the Guangzhou Eight Banners, as a nation, should die since they were defeated and captured.

It's okay if they don't die. How can they help the Ming thieves to attack our Qing array?

Even if they were forced, in Qianlong's view, this was considered a kind of betrayal!
A kind of betrayal to the Qing Dynasty and to him as the emperor!

This was something Qianlong could not forgive.

Qianlong took a deep breath and said.

"Send the order and order the local officials to capture all the bannermen who were captured by the Ming thieves, used as slaves to fight under the Ming thieves, and then escaped, and escorted to the capital to be handed over to the Three Laws Division for punishment."

Qianlong could not accept betrayal.

Therefore, he wanted to use the blood of betrayers to warn other Eight Banners nations.

If you are captured by an Ming thief, please die.

Don't be greedy for life and fear death. Surrender to the traitors and bring shame to your ancestors.

"Also, I am sending a message to the generals who are leading the troops below. If anyone dares to attack our Qing army formation again, no matter who they are, they are not allowed to hold back."

"Otherwise, if the war is frustrated because of their indecision, I will put them in jail for questioning."

Qianlong may have many shortcomings, but in terms of being an emperor, he is much better than Chongzhen.

At the very least, he is responsible!
Faced with the Ming army driving the Eight Banners nationalities to attack the Qing army's formation, he dared to issue an edict and ask the underground generals to show no mercy.

In other words, even if the generals below killed a large number of bannermen on the battlefield, they would not be held accountable.

Because they are just following orders!

At the very least, no one would be questioned by the court for killing and injuring a large number of Eight Banners soldiers on the battlefield.

As for whether the Eight Banners dignitaries will find other reasons for revenge afterwards, that is another matter.

But if Chongzhen faced the Ming Dynasty clan being driven in front of the formation by thieves and used to attack the Ming army's formation, it would be another matter.

Chongzhen would only order the civil and military generals who led the underground troops to do their best to suppress the thieves. For the sake of his reputation of caring for relatives, he would never respond positively to this matter.

Then, the civil servants and generals below can prepare to take the blame.

If you win, you will be questioned by Chongzhen for killing a large number of clan members.

If you lose the battle, you will be punished by Chongzhen for losing the city and the territory.

Anyway, Chongzhen said that he wanted the reputation of cherishing the clan's close friendship, and he also wanted victory.

What if the civil servants and generals below can’t do it?

Sorry, take the blame!
And Chongzhen was still the kind of mean and unkind emperor.

It doesn't matter if you let others take the blame. At worst, you will be compensated adequately afterwards, and the ministers will not be unwilling.

But the problem is, Chongzhen just let people take the blame without giving compensation...

What the hell can you say?
Who the fuck can avoid having a headache when working under such a mean and ungrateful emperor?
Seeing this, Agui suggested.

"Your Majesty, my servant suggested that the Qing Dynasty should strengthen the inspection of the Eight Banners' garrison in the capital and various places, and purge the Eight Banners' armaments in order to enhance the Eight Banners' combat effectiveness."

"Lest things like Guangzhou happen again!"

Regarding the handling of the Eight Banners soldiers who were captured and driven to the front of the formation, what Qianlong said could only be regarded as a temporary solution.

What Agui said is the real root cause!
What should I do if I want the Eight Banners not to be captured?
Wouldn't it be nice to enhance the Eight Banners' combat effectiveness?

If the current Eight Banners were still the Eight Banners when they first entered the customs, who could capture them?
Qianlong heard this, nodded and said.

"Can!"

"Send an order to the Eight Banners in the capital to intensify their training. I will personally go to the Eight Banners military camp in one month to conduct a review."

"If you practice well, you will be rewarded; if you don't practice well, you will be severely punished!"

"Then I will send high-ranking officials from the DPRK to serve as imperial envoys to the Eight Banners stations in various places to inspect the troops and horses for me and punish Zang."

"Now that the world is in chaos, it is the time for the imperial court to hire people and troops. The children of the country must not slack off and hide their stupidity anymore."

"As a nation, the Eight Banners must shoulder its responsibilities as a nation!"

"The Qing Dynasty still needs their support!"

Qianlong is ready to pay close attention to a wave of Eight Banners drills.

The situation in the south is getting more and more chaotic, and someone in the north may take the opportunity to cause trouble and cause trouble in the Qing Dynasty.

At such a critical moment, the Eight Banners must rise up!
As for whether it has any effect...

The effect is definitely there. If Qianlong pays close attention to a wave of training, the Eight Banners' combat effectiveness will definitely be improved.

But it would be nonsense to want the combat effectiveness of these Eight Banners to return to that of the Huang Taiji and Dorgon periods.

No matter how much you exercise, the body bones raised by caged birds in Beijing will not be as strong as the body trained in the white mountains and black waters.

Maybe you can develop your physical fitness!

But will and resilience are another story.

Otherwise, why has it been that the poorer the place, the easier it is to send out strong soldiers since ancient times?

Because only when you have experienced poverty can you be willing to work hard for glory and wealth!
……

PS: I will post one chapter first, and there will be another chapter that will wait a while.

(End of this chapter)