Chapter 155: The Situation of Repeated Jumps (Part 2)
The Qing Dynasty had 200,000 Eight Banners troops and 400,000-600,000 Green Camp soldiers, which would not exceed 800,000 troops at most. One guy mobilized 50,000 troops... For a moment, Yongzheng even thought it was possible. However, he quickly returned to normal after this moment of distraction.
What a joke! With 50,000 troops mobilized and fighting, a battle would cost 10 million taels of silver. From a cold perspective, even if Huo Chong occupied the entire Shandong, the Qing Dynasty would only lose 2 million taels of silver a year.
Of course, Huo Chong still had to be eliminated. Leaving it alone was not an option. Yongzheng rejected the second proposal of the Ministry of War.
A more mature civil service system will naturally propose "three strategies" when providing advice to superiors.
Yongzheng rejected two strategies, so the only thing left was to eliminate the enemy from three directions. Jiangsu and Henan each sent 7,000 troops, and although the 27th battalion of Shandong suffered heavy losses, they assembled the remaining battalions and formed a force in Northern Zhili as a mobilization force.
The Green Camp soldiers led the charge, followed by the Eight Banners Army, with a total of 20,000 people advancing steadily, seeking to annihilate Huo Chong's main force.
When the ministers of the Ministry of War saw Yongzheng's expression, they knew that this plan was obviously appreciated. They were relieved. Of course, the final decision was in the hands of the emperor. If Yongzheng suddenly changed his mind, the Ministry of War would have to follow suit.
After going to the Ministry of War, Yongzheng called his truly close thirteenth brother to discuss the matter. Seeing his fourth brother's hesitation, Prince Yi said, "Your Majesty, I think the 50,000-man army method is a good one."
"I know it's true! Alas..." Yongzheng sighed, "But I can't afford it now."
Since Yongzheng ascended the throne, Prince Yi had been proficient in the work of the Ministry of Revenue because of his full practical work. With a little mental calculation, he was able to figure out some of the minimum expenses for the 50,000 troops.
Even if each person was provided with one stone of grain per month, because the war was being fought in Shandong, even if the shipping costs were calculated to the sky, they would still not exceed three times the cost of shipping one.
At that time, the price of rice was one dan for one liang, and one soldier ate one dan of grain a month. It cost three dan of grain to deliver this dan of grain to the soldiers. The maximum cost was four liang. For 50,000 people, it would take 200,000 liang of grain a month.
As for military pay, the pay of the Qing Dynasty can be divided into "sitting ration" and "travel ration". "Sitting ration" is equivalent to a fixed salary, and "travel ration" is equivalent to bonuses and travel subsidies, which are only issued during the expedition period, 2 taels of silver per person per month. Rice for military pay is calculated separately.
By this calculation, the "travel rations" for 50,000 people would be 100,000 taels per month.
The difference between the Eight Banners and the Green Camp was quite large. For the Eight Banners alone, the monthly salary of senior soldiers (Beijing Banner vanguards and guards) was 4 taels, and the average salary of rice was 46 hu; the monthly salary of cavalry was 3 taels, and the average salary of rice was 46 hu; the monthly salary of infantry was 1 tael and 5 cents, and the average salary of rice was 22 hu.
For the sake of simplicity, we calculate that the monthly allowance for these 50,000 people is 2 taels of silver. The monthly allowance for 50,000 people is 100,000 taels of silver.
The total amount of food for travel and food for 50,000 people is 200,000 taels of silver per month.
Including food and fodder, 50,000 people would need 400,000 taels of silver per month.
According to the convention, each soldier was given a "three-month loan of silver" before the troops were dispatched, which was 600,000 taels immediately. The monthly salary had to be paid as usual. It was like giving out 1 million taels of silver before the battle even started.
This war would last for a year, and it would definitely cost 5 million taels. However, it was impossible to calculate this amount in a war. If the overall cost doubled, it would be a blessing.
Ten million taels of silver is not enough to end the war. And after the war, those who died in battle should be compensated, and those who did not die in battle should be rewarded.
When the normal encirclement and suppression is over, can 20 million taels of silver be enough to stop it?
Even if the plan of 50,000 troops to wipe out Huo Chong seems appropriate and reasonable, it is extremely difficult to choose this option.
Prince Yi knew that the court's finances were at this point, so he could only avoid the topic and asked, "Your Majesty, who will lead the troops this time?"
Yongzheng was thinking, and so were others. Before Huo Chong's rebellion, Shandong had never suffered from a severe famine. According to the civil servants, this rebellion was probably caused by Huo Chong's personal efforts. It was completely incomparable to the rebellions caused by severe famines that swept across the country in other dynasties.
In this case, Huo Chong's strength should be very average, very, very average. The court only needs to send a large army to wipe out Huo Chong, and it will take at most one year to reap the full credit. Who can reap the credit? Many people covet this matter.
It was a dark and windy night, perfect for business. In the darkness, someone carefully checked the surroundings to see that there was no one there, and then he sneaked to the back door of Old Fourteen's house. After knocking twice, the door opened silently. Although the people outside were a little surprised, they quickly slipped in.
Soon, the man knelt down before Old Fourteen and said, "Your servant greets you, Master Fourteen."
"How's mynah bird doing lately?" There wasn't much friendliness in Old Fourteen's voice.
"Replying to Fourteenth Master, Eighth Master has tried his best to help Fourteenth Master return to work. But the Emperor is too persistent, and Eighth Master can do nothing at this moment."
When the Fourteenth Prince heard this, he became even angrier. Most of this anger was naturally directed at Yongzheng, but some was also directed at the Eighth Prince.
Back then, the Fourteenth Prince supported the Eighth Brother instead of his own brother from the same mother. Now, it was the Fourteenth Prince who was summoned back to the capital by Emperor Yongzheng and almost imprisoned. He spent three years mourning for his father, Emperor Kangxi, and he actually guarded the mausoleum for three years.
Later, it was only with the efforts of the Empress Dowager that Yongzheng allowed the Fourteenth Prince to return to Beijing to live. However, there was still no news of his appointment.
On the contrary, the mynah bird suddenly became successful before even the first year of Yongzheng's reign.
Before Yongzheng officially ascended the throne , he ordered Yinsi, Yinxiang, Maqi and Longkodo to manage the affairs of the government, showing his favor to them. On December 11, he was given the title of Heshuo Lian Prince, and his brothers' characters Yin were changed to Yun, and Yinsi was changed to Yunsi. On December 13, the 61st year of Kangxi (1722), he was appointed as the Minister of Lifanyuan, and on February 17 of the following year, he was ordered to manage the affairs of the Ministry of Works.
It is now the fourth year of Yongzheng's reign, and the Eighth Prince, Prince Lian, still holds a stable position in the court, holding a high position of power. The Fourteenth Prince is still just a Beile.
How could Old Fourteen not be angry when he thought of the mynah bird?
The visitor was the confidant of the Eighth Elder, so he certainly knew the Fourteenth Elder's feelings. After hearing what the Fourteenth Elder asked, the visitor was even more certain of the Fourteenth Elder's feelings. He then made up his mind and asked, "Fourteenth Elder is well versed in military affairs. I would like to ask Fourteenth Elder, can Huo Chong really be easily eliminated?"
Old Fourteen was stunned, and for a moment he could not follow the train of thought of this servant. Just as he was puzzled, the visitor told Old Eighth's idea to Old Fourteen.
Before his death, Nian Gengyao commented on Huo Chong's military tactics: "He used troops gracefully and fought solidly." This was not a secret, and it had long been circulated in the court. Lao Ba felt that it was unnecessary to care about what others thought of Huo Chong. He would rather believe Nian Gengyao's evaluation.
In the petition for his life, everyone including Yongzheng thought that Nian Gengyao was playing a trick of keeping the enemy for his own benefit. But Lao Ba thought that even if he was keeping the enemy for his own benefit, the enemy had to be really vicious.
If it was a petty thief, three or five officers could tie him up and take him back to the county government office. Given Nian Gengyao's arrogance, he would never use it as a reason to save his life.
Old Fourteen listened to the man's story and gradually took it in. Finally, he said, "I don't know the battle situation either, how can I evaluate it?"
The man immediately took out a stack of things that he kept close to him. Old Fourteen took it and looked at it. It was all written in tiny characters, densely packed. But the handwriting was really good.
Kangxi himself had good handwriting, and he was particularly concerned about his sons' handwriting. Seeing these words, the fourteenth son was reminded of Huo Chong's thief-like handwriting. Back then, at the fourth brother's house , his father and he had seen Huo Chong's handwriting together, which made his father laugh...
Thinking of his father, the fourteenth brother felt a pain in his heart. Everyone said that his father wanted to pass the throne to him, but he didn't even get to see his father for the last time. And his fourth brother even said to him, "You are unlucky. You didn't even get to see your father for the last time!"
With hatred growing in his heart, Old Fourteen couldn't help but crumpled the paper in his hand into a ball, as if he was pinching someone's throat. It was not until the servant of the starling in front of him called out anxiously, "Fourteenth Master, Fourteenth Master..." that Old Fourteen was brought back to reality from his emotions.
He unfolded the crumpled began to read. It was not until late at night that he finished reading all the memorials and military reports. He rubbed his nose and sighed, "This Huo Chong is not easy to fight."
"Fourteenth Master, the Ministry of War has submitted three strategies..."
"Your Majesty... humph... He will certainly not be willing to sacrifice the troops in the northwest, let alone send 50,000 troops to suppress the rebellion. Even with 20,000 troops, I'm afraid we won't be able to win."
The servants of the Eighth Master were really shocked. "Huo Chong is just a local tycoon. How can he stop 20,000 soldiers from coming to suppress him?"
"My father has said that Huo Chong is a smart man. If such a person dares to rebel, he will certainly not be unprepared. I have seen the battles he fought, and he is indeed worthy of Nian Gengyao's evaluation. His use of troops is erratic, and only a bandit can do it. But his solid combat is something that...a bandit cannot do." The Fourteenth Prince did not fully express his true thoughts, but just passed it over vaguely.
The servants of the Eighth Master asked a few more questions, and the Fourteenth Master finally expressed only one opinion, "If you want to be cautious, don't send your own people."
After Lao Ba's servants said goodbye, Lao Shisi looked at the things Lao Ba had given him for a while. The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became.
Victory and defeat are common in the military, and Old Fourteen has experienced so much that he quite agrees with this. Whether the government army wins or loses a battle, the victory or defeat itself is just like that.
However, those who have never fought in a war often do not understand that fighting requires intelligence, logistics, and training. Huo Chong fought several battles of annihilation. Not many government troops escaped.
This proved that Huo Chong's intelligence was extremely accurate. Although Shandong was only a province, it was not easy to know the location of several thousand government troops.
Even if they were to engage in direct combat with the government troops, they would not be pushovers. The troops had all been rigorously trained, and the newly formed team was made up of ordinary people, so how could they defeat the government troops? Not to mention waging a war of annihilation.
It can be seen that Huo Chong's training and logistics are very impressive.
The death of Nian Gengyao was a happy thing for the Fourteenth Prince. This bastard also cooperated with Yongzheng to trick the Fourteenth Prince, and the Fourteenth Prince would certainly not forget it. When he heard that Nian Gengyao was sentenced to death by Yongzheng, the Fourteenth Prince had a drink himself that day.
But the Fourteenth Brother has never underestimated Nian Gengyao's strength.
Solid combat! Humph! Let his brother Yinzhen know what it means to "use troops gracefully and fight solidly".
