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

Chapter 22 Food is military morale
Boom boom boom!
War drums signaled the march.

The distance between the two Ming armies is getting closer and closer.

As the military formation continued to move forward, it was visible to the naked eye that the Ming army's originally relatively orderly formation began to become chaotic.

Some people walked fast, some walked slowly, some places were crowded, and some places were sparse.

It’s a bit overwhelming!

However, this is the current situation of the Ming army at this time.

The two Ming armies collided head-on, and then began to line up and fight with spears.

From time to time, someone would be stabbed by a spear, scream in pain, and then be dragged out of the array by the officer responsible for supervising the martial arts performance.

Considered dead!
Although it is just a martial arts exercise now, the Ming army is still fighting with all their strength.

The spear was stabbed with no intention of holding back.

The reason for this is also very simple.

Because Zhu Jing'an offered a reward for the results of the martial arts performance, the winning party could have extra meals and meat.

The loser not only did not get extra meals, but also had to take on the task of cleaning the toilet.

Although the so-called meat is only half a palm-sized slice of bacon.

But in the eyes of many soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, it was still worth fighting for their injuries.

People in this era are seriously lacking in protein intake, and bacon is also precious to many people.

It is only during the holidays that you can eat a little bit of delicious food to satisfy your craving.

There were rewards and punishments, and extra meals and meat were hung in front of them. The Ming army naturally attached great importance to martial arts.

He won't hold back when fighting, and the spear in his hand is full of energy to greet the opponent.

At this time, if they were using real spears, they would not just be screaming, but blood would be sprayed out.

Zhu Jing'an stood on the general stage, watching the battle between the two Ming armies below, with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Thinking about how he would break the situation if he was one of the following parties.

"The current battle situation is that the frontal battlefield is anxious, and the winner cannot be determined in a short time."

"If at this time, our army can assemble an elite force, raid the enemy's flanks, disrupt the enemy's formation, and then launch a fierce attack on the front to disrupt the enemy's combat rhythm, we will definitely be able to seal the victory."

Zhu Jing'an said.

Zhu Jianzhuo on the side heard this and asked.

"What do you think, my son?"

Zhu Jing'an spoke directly without hesitation.

"Gather the elites in the army, train a sword and shield soldier, and equip them with swords, shields, and thunder and other weapons. They are specially used to attack the enemy's flanks and open up the situation when the battle situation is tense."

Zhu Jianzhuo heard this and thought it was feasible, nodded and said.

"My son has thought carefully. This is indeed a method."

After Zhu Jianzhuo said this, he pondered for a moment, and then continued.

"For my father, I have come here to discuss something important with the prince."

Seeing this, Zhu Jing'an turned his head and spoke directly.

"Father, please speak. My sons and ministers are all ears."

Zhu Jianzhuo said with a somewhat embarrassed expression.

"Our army's current supply of food and grass is somewhat insufficient. If we continue to supply the army's food and grass at the current amount, our army will run out of food and grass in half a month at most."

This year, Guangxi suffered from drought and locust plagues, resulting in poor food harvests, and Zhujiazhuang was also affected.

Even though Zhu Jiazhuo packed up and took away almost all the food in Zhuangzi after he launched his rebellion, after such a long time of people eating and horses chewing it, the food was almost exhausted.

Li Mu still led the caravan, constantly purchasing grain from outside the mountain and transporting it into the mountain to supplement consumption.

Otherwise, the food problem faced by the Ming army will only become more serious.

When Zhu Jing'an heard this, he couldn't help frowning and asked. "What does the father mean?"

Zhu Jianzhuo said.

"Reduce part of the ration supply to the army to reduce food consumption."

"How does the prince feel?"

What should I do if there is not enough food?
It is nothing more than two methods of increasing revenue and reducing expenditure.

Now the Ming army is huddled in the mountains training, and there is no place to expand if they want to increase revenue. In Zhu Jianzhuo's view, they can only use their brains to reduce expenditures.

When Zhu Jing'an heard this, he shook his head.

"Father, the army's food supply must not be reduced."

"My Ming Dynasty is now dormant in the mountains and can only barely protect itself for the time being. However, the Qing Dynasty is powerful and the country is growing, and it has no intention of losing the world."

"Now what we and the people below say about our great righteousness and our country and the world are all false."

"Now that I, the Ming Dynasty, can stabilize the morale of the army, I rely on keeping my soldiers well fed and rewarded with real money and silver."

"Once the food supply is reduced, I am afraid that the morale of the army will be weakened."

After Zhu Jing'an said this, Zhu Jianzhuo also had a thoughtful expression on his face.

He had to admit that what his son said was right.

Being able to have enough to eat is really a matter of military morale.

After a while, Zhu Jiazhuo exhaled a heavy breath, and then spoke.

"What the prince said makes sense!"

"Then the prince thinks how to solve the food crisis that Ming Dynasty is facing now?"

When Zhu Jing'an heard this, after thinking for a while, his eyes lit up and he spoke.

"Returning to my father, I think that my Ming Dynasty may not have to be passively beaten now. Taking the initiative may also be an option."

When Zhu Jianzhuo heard this, his expression was slightly stunned, but he still spoke.

"What does the prince mean by this?"

"Didn't you suggest that Ming Dynasty retreat to the mountains for the time being to lay a solid foundation and develop its strength in order to prepare for the future?"

Hearing this, Zhu Jing'an nodded and said.

"What my father said was true. My son really thought so, and I still think it is right even now."

"Now that the Ming Dynasty has just launched its army, the foundation is not strong. It is not appropriate to show off one's sharpness, so as not to attract the attention of the Qing court."

"However, it is just not appropriate to attract the attention of the Qing court, in order to avoid the Qing court's army encirclement and suppression, and nipping our Ming Dynasty in the bud."

"But this doesn't mean that I, Daming, will always be hiding in the mountains."

"Zijing Mountain is just a foothold and a solid base for our Ming Dynasty, but it will definitely not be the place of Longxing for our Ming Dynasty."

"The resources in Bauhinia Mountain are not enough to support the revival of our Ming Dynasty."

"Sooner or later, Ming Dynasty will have to leave the mountains. Only by leaving the mountains can we pursue further development."

"Father, you must know that as long as we, the Ming Dynasty, do not take the initiative to attack the county, the Qing government will not mobilize heavy troops to attack our Ming Dynasty."

"The vast rural areas outside the county will be fertile ground for the vigorous development of our country."

The urbanization rate in ancient China was actually not low.

During the Southern Song Dynasty, when industry and commerce were most prosperous, the urbanization rate even reached 20.00%.

Even during the Manchu rule, the urbanization rate hovered around [-]%.

Before the outbreak of the industrial revolution, China's urbanization rate led the world.

What you need to know is that until 1800, the average urbanization rate in the world was only about 5.00%.

(End of this chapter)