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

Chapter 206

Qianlong was very doting on his new love.

However, what Qianlong was greedy for was not beauty, but the youthful and lively atmosphere of Yungui people.

Every time he stayed with Yungui people, Qianlong felt that he was not an old man, but a young man full of vitality...

This is an irresistible experience for an old emperor.

Since ancient times, old emperors doted on young concubines mostly because of this.

It's not because they are lustful, they have seen too many beauties in their lives.

It was because of the youthful and vigorous rhythm of beautiful life in the young concubine that the old emperor could not refuse.

Seeing the Yungui people giving alms, they left, ready to sing and dance.

Qianlong's face was filled with an expectant smile, and then he closed his eyes to rest.

At this moment, a young eunuch suddenly came hurriedly from a distance.

The little eunuch held a memorial book with a red lacquer cover in his hand.

He started preaching even though he was far away.

"Your Majesty, the Military Aircraft Department is reporting urgently!"

Qianlong was leaning on his chair, closing his eyes and taking a nap, recharging his energy for tonight's expedition.

Suddenly I heard the slightly panicked voice of the little eunuch, and he frowned dissatisfied.

"What's all the fuss about? Didn't I teach you that you should be calm when encountering problems and not be alarmed in any situation?"

When the young eunuch heard this, he knelt down in front of Qianlong and kowtowed in apology with an expression full of fear.

"The slave knows the crime! The slave knows the crime!"

When Qianlong saw this, he didn't pursue it any further and just said.

"Tell me, what's the important matter at the Military Aircraft Department?"

"Didn't I tell you? Don't bother me today. But is there anything big happening?"

When Qianlong first came to the throne, he was actually quite diligent.

But as his throne became more and more secure, he inevitably began to become tired.

Even if you are in good health, you still have to be lazy from time to time!

In terms of diligence, Qianlong was far inferior to Zhu Jianzhuo.

Hearing this, the little eunuch raised his head and spoke with a solemn expression.

"When I return to the Emperor, the Military Aircraft Department has sent an urgent report on the situation in Huguang..."

While speaking, the little eunuch knelt on the ground and held up the urgent report in his hand.

Qianlong nodded slightly and asked a chamberlain beside him to fetch the urgent report.

The chamberlain took the urgent report from the young eunuch, checked it briefly, handed it to Qianlong, and said.

"Master, please take a look!"

Qianlong took the urgent report and read it carelessly.

But he had just read a few lines, and the expression on his face suddenly changed. The veins on his forehead were beating constantly, and his face was constantly twitching.

Qianlong suddenly stood up from the chair, his chest heaving violently.

It was clearly written on the emergency report in his hand.

"In mid-May, the Battle of Jingzhou broke out, Jingzhou was defeated, and the generals of Jingzhou and the Eight Banners throughout the city died!"

"In early June, the Battle of Jianli broke out. Governor Sanbao of Huguang was killed in the battle, and his entire army was wiped out."

"In late June, the Battle of Yuezhou broke out. In early July, Yuezhou fell. Agui was defeated and Ma fled eastward."

"In late July, the Ming army defeated Wuchang and Huangzhou one after another, approaching Jiangxi, and its troops pointed directly to the south of the Yangtze River..."

"..."

Looking at this urgent report, the expression on Qianlong's face kept twitching.

At this moment, Qianlong felt the blood rush to his head, and his vision turned black...

His feet were so weak that he almost couldn't stand and fell to the ground.

Fortunately, the servant next to him had quick eyesight and quick hands, and supported him.

But even so, Qianlong still covered his forehead with one hand and said with a painful look on his face.

"How can this happen, how can this happen!"

"How could my Qing Dynasty and my Qianlong era be like this..."

The war situation in Huguang completely collapsed. Qianlong also knew how serious this matter was.

Since then, the situation in the south has collapsed!
Irrevocably collapsed!
After the situation in the south deteriorated, the Qing Dynasty lost its most important source of money and food.

By then, it’s unclear whether the situation in the north can be stabilized or not!

The country that his ancestors worked so hard to build was reduced to what it is now by Hongli. Even if he died, he would not have the face to see his ancestors in the ground!
Suddenly, Qianlong felt a severe tightness in his chest. He opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly he vomited a mouthful of blood.

The scarlet blood stained his bright yellow dragon robe!

When everyone around saw this scene, they couldn't help but exclaimed.

"emperor!"

"How are you, Your Majesty? Call the doctor, call the doctor quickly!"

"..."

After spitting out a mouthful of blood, Qianlong felt that the breath that was blocked in his chest became slightly smoother.

Qianlong was helped and sat back on the chair, his whole body slumped down.

No one understands how complicated his mood is right now!
After taking a deep breath and drinking another cup of tea to calm down, he spoke.

"Summoned, all military and aircraft ministers are summoned to meet for discussion!"

Upon hearing this, the chamberlain beside him clasped his fists and left, passing orders to the military ministers.

Not long after, several military ministers from the Qing Dynasty, including Yu Minzhong, Li Shiyao, He Shen, and Liang Guozhi, came to the Imperial Garden.

Then he walked quickly in front of Qianlong, knelt down and saluted.

"Slave/I see the emperor, long live my emperor, long live, long live!"

Qianlong was lying on a rocking chair, his face turned slightly pale, and he squinted his eyes and said.

"Stay flat, get up!"

"I have read the military report sent by the Military Aircraft Department, and I have a pretty good idea of ​​the current situation."

"Let's all discuss how to implement the next strategy of defeating thieves?"

"My ancestors left the country in my hands, but I have managed the world like this. Even after I die, I have no face to see my ancestors buried underground!"

Hearing this, Yu Minzhong was the first to speak.

"Your Majesty, I believe that after the Battle of Yuezhou, the situation of the Qing Dynasty in the south is likely to be irreversible, and in a short period of time, the Qing Dynasty will not be able to counterattack Jiangnan."

"In this case, we, the Qing Dynasty, should be mentally prepared to lose the south in advance!"

"So that when things really happen, we won't be in panic anymore."

When Qianlong heard this, he just nodded slightly.

"Tell me in detail!"

"how do you want to do it!"

Yu Minzhong heard this and spoke.

"Let me tell you, Your Majesty, I have three main thoughts."

"First, we, the Qing Dynasty, should prepare for the defense of the north in advance to prepare for the invasion of Ming thieves."

"Second, we, the Qing Dynasty, will start to rectify the military affairs in the north as soon as possible, innovate the armaments of the Eight Banners and the Green Camp, and prepare for the Qing Dynasty to regain the south."

"Third, the Qing Dynasty must be prepared to lose Jiangnan and Huguang, and plan new sources of money and food in advance to maintain the operation of the court."

After Yu Minzhong said these three sentences, Qianlong couldn't help but look thoughtful.

After a moment, he nodded. "What you said makes sense!"

Immediately, Qianlong continued to ask.

"Then what exactly should I do?"

Qianlong was usually a very decisive person, but today he was shocked by the bad news coming from the south.

That's why I kept asking my ministers for their opinions instead of making up my own mind.

When Li Shiyao saw this, it didn't mean Minzhong could speak, so he continued.

"Your Majesty, regarding the arrangement of Jiangbei's defense in advance, I think the DPRK can send an imperial envoy to Jiangbei to coordinate the defense."

"Focus on the management of Yangzhou, Huai'an, Fengyang, Lu'an, Xiangyang and other places to prepare for the Ming thief to go north."

When Qianlong heard this, he nodded slightly to express his approval.

Li Shiyao continued.

"Concerning the matter of reorganizing armaments, my slave has two opinions."

"First, the Qing Dynasty should start eliminating the old and weak in the green camp, use the money and food saved by eliminating the green camp, recruit strong men from Gansu, Shaanxi and other places to join the army, and train them strictly to ensure the combat effectiveness of the army."

"The second is to expand the Eight Banners, recruit brave men from the Sauron tribes outside the pass, and the tribes on the grasslands, or serve as soldiers under each banner, and then supplement the old Eight Banners as generals, so as to form and train a new army. Revitalize our Eight Banners force."

Needless to say, the first point is that the mainland of the Qing Dynasty has been peaceful for a long time. Although rebellions often occur, they are not a climate.

The Green Camp has been exhausted a long time ago, and now its combat power is probably on par with the Eight Banners!

Brothers, don't laugh at the second brother, he's the same trash.

If we don't eliminate the old and the weak and put things in order, we will be wasting the court's money and food.

When the Ming thieves launch the Northern Expedition, they will be unable to play any role!
The second point is out of consideration for revitalizing the Eight Banners' military force.

The deterioration of the Eight Banners' armaments is even worse than that of the Green Camp, and more importantly, the Green Camp can also eliminate the old, weak and unusable veterans and rectify them.

But not the Eight Banners!

The flag soldiers of the Eight Banners are all formally organized.

They are all shareholders of our Qing Dynasty.

Where does it say that elimination can be eliminated!
Therefore, since the Eight Banners nobles cannot be used, Li Shiyao can only think about starting a new one.

For example, coating, such as the Sauron soldiers and Mongolian tribes outside the pass!

If the Qing Dynasty could use raising the flag as a lure, these people would definitely be able to demonstrate their considerable fighting power on the battlefield.

Qianlong heard this, nodded and said.

"Very good, let's handle this matter as it is!"

"However, there is another question, and that is where will the money and food needed to reorganize the Eight Banners and Green Camp come from?"

The biggest impact of the Qing Dynasty's loss of Jiangnan and Huguang was not the loss of cities and land.

Instead, they lost the finance and taxation of Jiangnan and the food of Huguang.

For the Qing Dynasty, this was truly fatal and something that would truly threaten the rule of the Qing Dynasty.

Now Huguang and Jiangnan are about to be lost, and the Qing Dynasty may come to an end next year. How can Qianlong not be anxious?

The Qing Dynasty could barely maintain its rule based on the northern finance and tax alone, and the Eight Banners' hardcore crops would probably have to stop growing.

Spending money on improving military equipment is even more nonsense.

When everyone heard the words, there was a moment of silence.

Obviously, no one can fill the big hole left by the Qing Dynasty in terms of money and food after losing Huguang and Jiangnan.

The atmosphere around him became tense for a while.

At this moment, He Shen suddenly spoke.

"Your Majesty, this servant may have a way..."

Upon hearing this, Qianlong looked at Heshen, then nodded slightly.

"Speak!"

Seeing this, He Shen was not polite and spoke immediately.

"Since the imperial court has a gap in money and food, there are only two ways to solve it."

"The first is to increase revenue, and the second is to reduce expenditure!"

When Qianlong heard this, he just nodded again.

"What kind of method to increase revenue and reduce expenditure?"

Heshen opened his mouth to report the report in detail.

"Your Majesty, the first is to reduce expenditure. Our Qing Dynasty has already lost the finance and taxation of Jiangnan and the food of Huguang. It is impossible to make up for this gap in a short time."

“Even if we increase revenue, it will only be a drop in the bucket. Therefore, we have to implement measures to reduce expenditures.”

"The slave's opinion is, first, to eliminate redundant officials and personnel in the court and to eliminate useless old and weak people in the green camp army to reduce expenditures."

"The second is to stop the issuance of integrity-supporting silver to officials and reduce all unnecessary expenses in the DPRK and China."

"The third is to stop the distribution of hardcore crops of the Eight Banners, and wait until the Qing Dynasty regains Jiangnan in the future, and then reissue them..."

When Qianlong heard this, his expression was obviously moved.

He knew that Heshen's idea might be a bad idea, but if it were to be implemented, it might lead to internal chaos in the Qing Dynasty and unstable people's hearts.

But considering the current situation facing the Qing Dynasty, bad ideas are also bad ideas.

After weighing the pros and cons, the most important thing for the current Qing Dynasty is to reorganize its armaments, maintain the operation of the government, and use limited money and food in practical ways.

Instead of supporting redundant officials and redundant personnel, supporting the old and weak in the green camps, providing officials with honest money, and providing hard-core crops to the Eight Banners.

If the Qing Dynasty had money, it wouldn't hurt to waste more on these aspects!

But the problem now is that Qing Dynasty has no money!
Naturally, there can be no more extravagance and waste, and the province must be saved.

Good steel is used on the blade!

After all, without redundant officials, without the old and weak in the green camp, without the money to raise money, without the hardcore crops of the Eight Banners, the Qing Dynasty would still be the Qing Dynasty!

Even if the people in the government are in turmoil, it is better than the army and government collapsing due to lack of money and food!
After all, if the government or the army collapsed due to lack of money and food, it would really kill the Qing Dynasty.

Qianlong looked thoughtful when he heard this, but he still asked.

"What about the open source strategy?"

He Shen thought for a while, gritted his teeth and said.

"The first is to increase taxes, and the second is to switch!"

Needless to say, raising taxes is a perfectly normal operation for the court to raise taxes when it has no money.

The only problem is that it is easy to add, and a few Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong were added.

In addition, the Qing Dynasty is now preparing to eliminate redundant personnel in the court and the old and weak in the army. This operation is similar to Chongzhen's abolition of the post system.

Adding the two prerequisites, the probability of Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong's appearance is greatly increased!
As for the switch, it was because I, Da Qing, had eaten meat recently after the switch in Tianjin.

The revenue from customs, to some extent, greatly made up for the imperial court's financial gap.

Nowadays, the Qing Dynasty has lost Jiangnan and Huguang, and the financial gap is getting bigger and bigger. It is only normal that He Shen will turn his ideas on the switch.

When Qianlong heard this, he nodded approvingly and said.

"What He Shen said is true!"

“The two strategies of tax increase and switch are indeed feasible.”

The original intention of the Qing Dynasty to move the border and ban the sea was to deal with the Zheng family's fleet.

After the fall of Zheng Ming's regime, the Qing Dynasty's policy of moving borders and banning seas continued, with the purpose of cutting off China's foreign exchanges and contributing to the Qing Dynasty's policy of obscuring the people.

But now, with the rise of Ming Dynasty in the south, it is opening and closing in Guangzhou.

If the Qing Dynasty imposes a sea ban again, wouldn’t that mean taking off your pants and farting?
As for ancestral system?
Haha, the ancestral system is used to restrain kings who have no real power and insufficient prestige.

Qianlong had been on the throne for more than 40 years. To him, the ancestral system was no different than wiping paper. If he said it should be abolished, it would be abolished!
Didn't Qianlong just turn it on when he didn't see the Tianjin switch?

(End of this chapter)