At the end of May, after receiving Agui and Fukangan's request to continue to increase troops, Qianlong severely reprimanded Agui and Fukangan in his edict for their poor performance. However, he finally agreed to mobilize five thousand banner battalions from the northwest to support Ning Guta; at the same time, he urged the two of them in the edict to complete the crusade before winter this year.
Because it was not yet the harvest season in the Pass, the grain reserves in Changping warehouses in the southern provinces, states, and counties began to be transported north in large quantities. In addition to providing disaster relief in Henan and Shandong, most of them were transferred outside the Pass as military rations. Qianlong also issued an edict, ordering the governments of the four provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong to mobilize merchants to purchase rice overseas, and at the same time encouraged wealthy households in each province to donate.
(Since the Kangxi Dynasty in the Qing Dynasty, although the export of grain has been prohibited, the import of grain has not been excluded. In the 61st year of Kangxi, because he heard that the price of rice in Siam was extremely cheap, Kangxi proposed that Siamese businessmen divide the rice into 300,000 shi. It was shipped to Fujian, Guangdong, Ningbo and other places for sale without paying taxes. In the early years of Yongzheng, rice was imported from Siam twice, and both were given tax-free treatment. In the sixth year of Yongzheng's reign, it was finally determined that "rice does not need to be taxed, as an example ”, the case has become the norm.
The initial grain import was only a special policy given to Fujian. During Li Wei's tenure as governor of Zhejiang, this policy benefited Zhejiang. During the Qianlong period, Fujian, Guangdong, and Zhejiang were the main importing provinces for imported rice. Rice from Southeast Asia can not only be freely sold on the market, but if the market is not prosperous, foreign businessmen can also enjoy the benefits of government procurement. )
Agui, who was in Jilin, had also been prepared. As early as April, he sent a group of troops north to Ningguta to farm, and at the same time, he sent troops to reclaim unclaimed wasteland outside Wula City in Jilin. This eased some of the transportation of grain and grass to the rear. pressure.
A large amount of silver used as military pay suddenly poured into the markets of Wula and Ningguta in Jilin, causing local prices to skyrocket, and the situation where silver was cheap and copper was expensive became even worse. At this time, the official price of 1 tael of silver was equivalent to 1,200 copper coins, but in the markets of Wula and Ningguta in Jilin, 1 tael of silver could only be exchanged for 800 copper coins.
Ordinary people used to make money to pay taxes on a daily basis. It took 1,200 Wen to cover one tael of tax, but officials could exchange it for one and a half taels of silver. As a result, the local banner people complained endlessly; and the exiles who were assigned as slaves were even more unlucky. They worked hard and couldn't even afford an old sheepskin coat.
The Suifen River in summer is beautiful. The clear water flows alone, reflecting the mountains and tall woods like green walls. The white clouds in the sky are reflected on the river, and water birds are playing and flying on the river.
At the end of the raised horizon in the middle reaches of the Suifen River, two official ships flashed out. The black and red hulls were sailing in the clear river water. On the bow of the leading ship, a yellow dragon flag was particularly eye-catching.
These two boats are both "Lu boats", with sails set when the wind blows and oars used when there is no wind. The hull is nearly 17 meters long, with a single mast and gunwales on both sides (walls installed along the edge of the open deck to ensure the safety of personnel and prevent cargo from rolling off.)
The upper half of the ship is painted with vermilion paint, and the lower half is painted with black paint. On the front deck was a double-combination gun covered with a dark red gun jacket. The stern of the ship is very high, and a cabin with portholes is covered with reed mats on the deck. It is covered with red felt and contains a square table and two seats.
Probably because they were eager to go on the road, at this time, in addition to setting sails, the two boats were sailing quickly, and there were eight soldiers on both sides of each boat vigorously rocking the oars.
This kind of Luchuan is an official ship usually used for border inspections, but now it is carrying envoys from the Qing court to persuade them to surrender.
The tall and thin priest Anthony walked up from the cabin with his head lowered, stretched his arms lazily, and took a deep breath of fresh air. He looked around at the picturesque scenery along both sides of the river, but his eyes inadvertently showed a trace of envy and greed.
Anthony knew that 4,800 miles north from here was the boundary between the Qing Dynasty and Russia; and that there were thousands of miles of territory to the south and west of Beijing.
The country was as vast as his own. But the most enviable thing is that the Qing Dynasty not only has a vast land area, but also has a long coastline, from the hot and humid south to the icy-cold Tartar Strait. It's hard not to be fascinated by such a vast and fertile land.
Before he came to the Qing Dynasty, he had heard that Her Majesty the Queen had made plans to invade the Qing Dynasty many times, but in the end they were always temporarily suspended because she was reluctant to part with the Kyakhta trade; and in recent years, she was too busy due to the Fifth Russo-Turkish War. Visit east.
However, when Priest Anthony thought about the members of the clergy who were under house arrest in Beijing, the hundreds of cannons waiting to be shipped outside Wula City in Jilin, and even the thousands of capable musketeers outside Ningguta City, all his desires came to nothing. The smoke disappeared. At this moment, he could only serve as a member of the mission and go thousands of miles away to persuade his "comatriots" to evacuate.
At this time, an official with a broad mouth and a mustache on his upper lip walked out of the cabin, followed by three burly personal guards. This man is in his forties, with a ruby on his coral crown, a single-eyed peacock feather stuck behind his hat, and a black moose skin sleeveless short coat, with a golden Suan Ni embroidered on the chest of the official robe. (It's a lion).
The official smiled and asked Anthony: "Priest An, is the scenery of the inland rivers in my country still pleasing to the eye?"
Anthony first bowed in greeting, and then replied with a smile: "Your Excellency, Deputy Governor, this is really a beautiful and rich place."
The official smiled slightly after hearing this, and a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.
This man's name is Na Qitai, whose surname is Wanyan, and he is from the Zhenglan Banner of Manchuria. His father served successively as general of Heilongjiang, general of Jilin, and general of Xi'an. In the 29th year of Qianlong's reign, Na Qitai was awarded the title of Lan Ling bodyguard by Tang'a (deacon) at Niangan Department, and served successively as the second-class bodyguard and the first-class bodyguard. In the forty-third year of Qianlong's reign, he was awarded the title of deputy general of the Hangzhou Navy Association. In the forty-ninth year of Qianlong's reign, Ding's mother was worried, but she still walked around the sticky pole as a first-class bodyguard. In the first month of the fiftieth year of Qianlong's reign, he was granted the title of Deputy Capital Commander of Ninggu Pagoda.
The Niangan Department, which spanned the Yongzheng and Qianlong dynasties of the Qing Dynasty, was officially called "Shangyu Reserve Department" and had a capacity of forty people. It was under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but the administrative office was located in the Lama Temple. In the imperial garden of Ouchi, there is another stronghold at the sticky pole, which is the Duixiu Mountain Yujing Pavilion on the east side of the imperial garden. In front of the doorway under the rockery, there are four large black stools; no matter day or night, there are four stick-stick guards and four stick-stick worshipers sitting on them, waiting for the emperor's orders at any time in order to carry out the orders.
If the establishment of the "factory guards" in the Ming Dynasty was a spy organization established by the emperor to supervise officials in order to strengthen the imperial power, then the sticky pole that has many similarities with the factory guards in the Ming Dynasty was the spy organization of the emperor of the Qing Dynasty.
After Qianlong succeeded to the throne, he took over the sticky pole left by Yongzheng and continued to use it to monitor all officials in the court, including frontier officials from other provinces and generals on expeditions.
The intention of a person like Na Qitai being sent to Ninggu Pagoda by Qianlong at this time is self-evident. The purpose of leading his team eastward this time was to obtain first-hand information from the Hubei people.
The two chatted for a while, and then Na Qitai invited Anthony to take a seat in the canopy of the boat. When his men brought tea, he and Anthony sat drinking tea and chatting while admiring the surrounding mountains and forests. The three soldiers under his command were standing around on guard.
Suddenly, a sharp roar came from the dense forest on the left side in front, and a loud arrow flew out of the forest and landed on the river in front. What followed was a burst of people shouting and horses barking.
"There he is!" Another roar came from the dense forest, followed by the sound of swishing arrows and the sound of a birdshot "Boom!"
Na Qitai's expression changed. Before he could ask a question, a soldier standing under the mast, Geshiha, took off his bow from his back and set an arrow on it. He ducked behind the gunwale in two steps and shouted loudly to the shore: " who!"
The river channel of Suifen River is not very wide. The narrowest part is only five or six meters, and the widest part is only 11 or 2 meters. Nagoshha watched the situation on the river bank nervously, when suddenly a black shadow flew out of the forest like lightning, and a long black arrow hit him in the face. Nagoshha didn't even let out a scream, and fell to the sky on the deck.
"Sir!" Two soldiers rushed over to protect Qitai.
At this time, a loud shout came from the shore: "Protect your lord!"
Priest Anthony was also startled. He slid off the stool and lay on the deck unconsciously. He felt that it was best for him to return to the cabin now, so he stood on his hands and knees and was about to go out when he heard a Goshiha whisper: "My lord, please go back to the cabin for a while."
Na Qitai stood up and pushed away a guard, saying with an angry look: "Why are you panicking!" After saying that, he moved behind the gunwale with his belt and two guards, and shouted to the frightened rowing soldiers around him: "Paddle quickly! Get out of here!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a "boom" sound of a musket was heard in the woods, followed immediately by the "boom boom" sound of a bowstring.
Everyone on the boat felt that time passed extremely long, and they didn't know how long it had passed. "Ah!" A heart-rending scream came from afar, and not long after, there was another shot.
Another Geshiha couldn't figure out what was going on. He looked at Na Qitai and said: "Sir, it seems that there are our own people on the shore, and the sounding arrows are the same as those in the army. Should we stop the boat and help them?"
As a man with many years of military career, Na Qitai could tell from the moment the arrow roared that it was a standard weapon in the army.
"Don't be too troublesome. We don't have to worry about things on the shore. Row quickly and get out of here!"
As the sailors on the two boats rowed desperately, the Lu boat quickly moved down the river, and the shouts of death on the shore gradually faded away. A quarter of an hour later, when the boat had sailed more than two miles, everyone on the boat felt relieved.
Na Qitai, who returned to the cabin, frowned and felt uneasy. What happened just now?
The time has to go back half an hour.
Because of his outstanding archery skills and familiarity with the local mountains and forests, Funiyang'a, who was the leader of Ninggu Tower, was selected by Agui and led ten of his men eastward along the post road to explore the road for the future eastward march of the army.
Agui has been fighting for many years and manages the army strictly. Under his men, no one dared to slack off in military orders. Funyanga and his men carefully checked the road conditions along the way and recorded them in detail. He wanted to rush to Fuldan City as soon as possible and then return to Ninguta to report.
The reason for being so anxious is that Agui Zhongtang only gave a deadline of twenty days; the other is that there are too many mosquitoes in the forest. In summer, the weather in the Northeast is hot during the day, and mosquitoes swarm at night. Even though everyone brought enough mosquito repellents such as peppermint, patchouli, and star anise, they were still bitten all over their faces and complained incessantly. They all wanted to finish this painful task quickly.
After leaving the campsite early this morning, the group of them worked hard, hoping to arrive as soon as possible. Unexpectedly, something happened just an hour after leaving. They were attacked by unknown people.
At that time, a scout who was running at the front suddenly felt something was wrong. He reined in his horse, slowed down, and stopped with a "hush" sound. At this time, a soldier behind him asked strangely: "Irahan, what's wrong?"
I saw the armored soldier named Irahan raising his arm to signal everyone to be quiet. After Funyanga and the others reined in their horses and stopped, they looked around.
There used to be a few birdsong in the forest from time to time, but now there was no sound. The mountain breeze blew gently on everyone's faces. A few dozen steps away on the right, the water of the Suifen River washed quietly along the river bank, making a "swishing" sound.
Something is wrong with the quiet here!
At this time, the horse under everyone also became a little restless, its ears were raised forward, its nose was snoring, and its hooves were pawing.
"Dismount and be on guard." Funyan'a said softly, turned over and dismounted, and then took out a hard bow and a hazelnut whistle arrow from the sack. This kind of whistle arrow got its name because it has an iron head and is shaped like a hazelnut. It is generally used to shoot deer, but it can also be used to guide others in the direction of attack.
Several armored soldiers looked solemn and took out their swords or hard bows on their horses. Two others reached out and took out the shotguns in their saddlebags, took off the gunpowder pot from their waists, poured in two coins of gunpowder, and then Put an iron bullet weighing three cents and one cent into the muzzle of the gun, and then pull out the wooden stick under the barrel to compact it; finally, he took out the matchstick and ignited the match, and then clamped the match rope to the metal hook above the gun. superior.
There was a soft sound from the bowstring, and a sharp black arrow shot out from a big tree on the right front like a ghost, and pierced the neck of an armored bow soldier. The soldier's eyes widened, and the bow in his hand fell to the ground. He stretched out his hand to pull the arrow shaft, trying to pull out the arrow. After swaying for a few times, he finally fell to the ground, spitting blood from his mouth.
More than a dozen horses were frightened and immediately neighed and scattered in all directions.
Funiya didn't have time to observe. He raised his hand habitually and fired an arrow at the big tree on the upper right. The sharp whistle cut through the silent forest. The leaves swayed, and a figure quickly slipped from the tree, turned over and disappeared into the bushes.
There was a "crash", and a figure twenty cloths away from the left quickly jumped out of the bushes. This man's head was covered with grass and branches, and his body was also gaudy. He was holding a strange thing in his hand, and he raised his hand according to the position of the armored soldiers.
There was a soft sound of "Pa!", and several sawdust burst out from the tree trunk beside an armored soldier.
"He's there!" Several armored soldiers ducked and hid behind the tree, bowing and shooting arrows.
"Boom!" A soldier holding a shotgun fired at the position where the figure disappeared.
At this time, Funiya also ducked behind a big tree, took out a plum needle arrow from the bag and set it on it. He stared at the position where the man jumped out, and he already knew in his heart that there were at least two people on the other side.
The armored soldier who had been shot in the neck had fallen to the ground, and Funyanga finally saw the opponent's black arrow clearly. The straight arrow shaft is completely black, even the arrow feathers are black.
"Be careful! There are at least two of them!" Funyan'a shouted to his men in a low voice.
At this time, everyone heard an angry shout from the river not far away: "Who is it!" As soon as the voice fell, there was another soft sound in the bushes, and there was no more noise on the river.
Funyan'a found the correct position and hid behind a stone half a man's height. At this time, the scene on the river could be seen very clearly. The boat with the yellow dragon flag at the head seems to be the boat of the Vice-Capital.
"Protect your lord!"
Funyanga shouted loudly, and an armored soldier immediately pulled the shotgun in his hand. He and several armored soldiers beside him raised their bows and shot at the place where the noise had just been made.
After a while, the other side became quiet. At this time, two armored soldiers holding knives flashed out from behind the tree, intending to bend down and outflank them. Unexpectedly, as soon as it showed its head, the ghost appeared again, the bow string sounded softly, and a long black arrow shot into the abdomen of an armored soldier.
The injured armored soldier screamed, clutching his stomach and kneeling on the ground.
Douda's sweat trickled down Funiya's cheek. He knew that he would encounter a life-or-death enemy today! The opponent is a master of bow shooting, and his arrows can be shot quickly and accurately. I am afraid that I am no match for him.
The few surviving armored soldiers were also extremely nervous. The two people on the opposite side were like ghosts, and they were hit hard at random. This is really troublesome! If the opponent doesn't show his head, he can't advance or retreat. The horses have all run away. It seems that this is the only way to go.
At this time, a shotgunner hiding behind a tree finally loaded the bullet and lit the match. At this moment, he regretted extremely. He had taken out the bag if he had known it. This shotgun seemed to have fierce firepower, but the reloading was too slow! Just as he was thinking about it, he saw a slight shake in the trees on the left front from the corner of his eye. Without thinking, he raised his gun and pulled the trigger.
There was a muffled groan from the trees opposite, and all the armored soldiers were ecstatic, they had hit!
But before the ecstasy passed, they immediately fell into the abyss. Behind the surrounding rocks and among the trees, there was a sudden "pop, pop, pop" sound like exploding beans, and five or six armored soldiers were shot to death immediately. Seeing this scene, Funyan'a's eyes widened and his eyes were about to burst!
(End of chapter)
