Chapter 196: Zuo Zongtang’s restoration of Chenhai defense and the suppression of grain transportation outside the customs (1)
On March 16, 1875, Zuo Zongtang, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, watched Li Hongzhang discuss the coastal defense plan. He felt resentful and resentful, so he described the actual situation of coastal defense and fortification defense, as well as the actual situation of suppressing and mobilizing troops outside the customs, and preparing grain and transportation, saying:
On the twelfth day of the second month of the first year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu, the imperial minister Cheng Zhun sent a secret message to the Minister of Military and Aircraft on the third day of the second month of the first year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu. Admire this.
Jingyi again and again, I admire the saints for their profound consideration and meticulous care. Anyone who is foolish and misses me but dares not speak out has been kindly forgiven and given instructions to Zhou Xiang. While I was kneeling and listening, I felt like insects were buzzing around the house. When I heard the spring thunder, it was leisurely and refreshing.
When it comes to preparing for current affairs and planning, we should pay equal attention to coastal defense in the east and fortification in the west. When talking about coastal defense today, we should focus on the Western Regions and strictly guard the borders. There is no need to rush to make progress. Please use the suspension of withdrawals to even out the cost of coastal defense. When it comes to defense, since the Russians are cunning and want to succeed, it is better to focus on the western expedition with all their strength, so that there will be no danger in the northwest and the southeast will be self-contained. These are all people who are loyal to the country and do not seek self-importance based on their own private opinions.
The minister is so ignorant, how can he express his opinions for a moment, and criticize Chen Cong? I have been stationed in Fujian and Zhejiang, and I have a little knowledge of the situation in the maritime country; I have also been transferred to Shaanxi and Gansu. Although there is a shortage of troops and horses, there are few achievements so far, and I have not paid attention to the military situation and terrain of the pass. Since I have been consulted, I dare not sacrifice my foolishness to prepare for the wise decision.
He is trying to steal the alliance between Britain, France and the United States in order to benefit us. His ambition is to gain profits from trade, and he has no ulterior motives. Because their state supplies were obtained through conquests for merchants, all the countries they visited focused on occupying ports and conquering seaports, but did not plunder their land or people. Gai knew that if he gained land, he would have to build more garrison buildings, and if he gained the people, he would set up government offices. If he wanted to win, he would be wasted, and the wisdom of merchants would not be gained.
However, his ambition was to conquer merchants, so he set up troops on ships to protect them. If there is an attempt to occupy a port or compete for a port, the company must convene a meeting to discuss and share military expenses, and then take action. Since the treaty was negotiated and established, the ports and ports have been established. Countries have long thought it was a benefit, but they know that failure of the treaty will hinder their national use. Merchants plan their days to win, knowing that failure to make a promise will hinder their livelihood. Unless they have no choice but to do so, why would they dare to cause trouble?
Since the launch of the ship, I have been able to take advantage of those who are proud of me; and I have concentrated on seeking good tools and weapons to prepare for them. It seems unreasonable to say that he is still cunning and thinking about others.
The commentator wants to withdraw the soldiers from the fortress in order to benefit the money for coastal defense. Let me talk about the funds that should be raised for coastal defense. The initial expenses include the purchase and construction of ships, guns, garrison equipment, and forts; the regular expenses include the training, increase in wages, and maintenance of water and land mark battalions. The cost of the ship is also. Fujian Bureau's shipbuilding is gradually getting clues. From this promotion and improvement, more and more ships are completed. The cost of purchasing ships can be saved, and the cost of hiring ships can be changed to the cost of maintaining ships. The initial needs and regular needs are the same. Those who are.
For those who should prepare for coastal defense, the most urgent task is to train the army on land and water. The customs in the coastal areas are strong, and it is difficult for merchants, fishermen and sailors to take advantage of them. On the land route, each province recruits elite troops, such as Guang, Hui, Chao, and Jia in Guangdong, Xing, Quan, Yong, and Zhang in Fujian, Tai, Chu, and Ningbo in Zhejiang, and Huai, Xu, Feng, Si, and Ying in the Huaihe River. , everywhere can be trained into an army, and taught to recruit brave men, which will last for a long time without any effort. The current method in Zhejiang is to increase the pay but not to use the troops. With the discussion of Taiwan defense aroused, Zhejiang's expenditures are only small, and it seems that it is not the only one with nothing to rely on. This is the only way to prepare for coastal defense.
The commentators are talking about stopping the withdrawal from the Pass and evening out the pay for coastal defense. I want to make the coastal defense twice as urgent as today's fortification defense. The Long Army's pay is better than today's coastal defense. It can be said!
The minister's army entered the pass in triumph for the second time. Please allocate 4 million military pay, divided into 600,000 taels of Shaanxi, and the rest will be used to pay the troops of the minister's department. All military supplies, military rations, arms, military uniforms, transportation, relief, subsidies, and recruitment are all transferred from the payment items to meet urgent needs temporarily, and no separate funds are established. Later, the Ministry of Household Affairs decided to allocate 2 gold from each province to relieve the army of the ministers, and the military salary of the ministers' army amounted to more than 8 million. However, it costs money to eliminate redundant troops and defeat them, and it costs money to pacify bandits and resettle civilians. As the situation expands, the costs increase.
In the old days of Gansu, all the armies were given salt and vegetables, grain, cold clothes, forwarding freight, and full monthly pay to the ministers. In total, when entering Guan Dulong, the actual salary received every year is less than 5 million taels, and the payment should be no less than 8 million taels. When the wages arrive at the camp, they are all gone as soon as they are dispersed; the old debts turn into huge sums of money.
Therefore, my army is paid full pay for two months at the beginning of each year, and then it is considered that it is not enough to pay full pay for one month. Every winter comes to the end of the twelfth twelfth lunar month, and I often wander around my tent, not knowing what to do, and be frugal at any time.
As of the end of the twelfth year of the twelfth year, the arrears of annual pay had reached more than 8.2 million taels, and the amount of free money and reward silver had exceeded 300,000 taels. The provinces and customs had accumulated more than 3,000 taels of pay for the ministers and soldiers. Ten thousand taels!
At the turn of spring and summer last year, I received a special gift of one million taels from the treasury. The ministers successively withdrew forty battalions of cavalry, and then withdrew another thousand cavalry, saving more than two million taels of regular pay. This refers to the accumulated payment arrears of more than 8.2 million taels, which is not real silver. After the recovery of Suzhou, preparations were made for grain collection and transshipment. A total of three million taels of silver was paid, and the grain supply would be available until this year.
Grains were transported from Liang to Gansu, from Gansu to Su, from Su to Anxi, and from Anxi to Hami. There was still a shortage of hundreds of thousands of taels of real silver. Although legitimate expenses are allowed according to the regulations of the Ministry of Household Affairs, they are still only paid to the ministers and soldiers, which takes up the amount of real silver they should receive for a year. This desire is as accommodating and perfunctory all the year round, and it only cares about the present, but there is nothing it can do. Moreover, the farther the grain is transported from the customs, the more expensive it becomes. Gansu's overall situation should be to gradually restore the old system, and the funds will continue to increase.
After tracing back to the five coastal provinces, it was found that in the 11th and 12th years of Tongzhi's reign, nearly 3 million taels were paid each year. When the Taiwan Defense Incident broke out last year, Fujian's payment was incomprehensible. Guangdong and Jiangsu's payment was slightly reduced, while Zhejiang's payment was slightly reduced. There were 290,000 taels more than in the eleventh year, 370,000 taels more than in the 12th year, and Shandong also had 25,000 more taels. In total, the four provinces released more than 2.4 million taels of real silver. Without the loyalty of the ministers and ministers in Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shandong, the huge grain transportation out of the customs could not be stopped, nor could it be paid, and no one knew how to get it out.
The commentator proposes to stop withdrawing soldiers from Guan, regardless of whether Urumqi has been restored, there is no reason to withdraw troops; even if Urumqi has been restored, it is decided to mark the territory and defend it, and use the conscription of soldiers as soldiers as a solid plan, and use obstacles to guard against autumn, and the ground is dotted with stars. It can be reduced but the troops cannot be reduced. As the troops increase, there is no shortage of pay. Unless we combine the wealth of the southeast to make up for the shortcomings of the northwest, why focus on border towns and tighten internal and external defenses? This means that the defense can be adapted to the current conditions, but it is still difficult to reduce military pay suddenly.
