Chapter 342: The Siege of Jiangning (XVI)
While meeting with female civil servants in Jiangnan, someone brought a document. Qian Qing opened it and saw that it was about the Qing army in Fujian. Looking up, he saw the faces of the people present were full of curiosity. According to Huo Chong, this is the "imitation instinct" that evolved when organisms evolved to a certain stage. Although Qian Qing felt very helpless and uninterested about the tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of years of evolution, he had a strong feeling about the evolutionary results described by Huo Chong. And every time, it can be verified in many places.
Of course, humans are not simply imitators. There are still some people in the room who seem to be well-mannered after self-transformation, such as Gao Pang's teacher Chen Mingtai. He tried his best to pretend that he didn't see it. Chen Mingtai's daughter is another type. Although she is also curious, Chen Tuiyi easily transforms her curiosity into other directions by taking notes.
Qian Qing picked up the paper and shook it in the air, then laughed, "Haha, this is good news. Our army defeated the Qing army in Xianxialing, and the Qing army has fled. Our army basically doesn't have to worry about the enemy coming overland from Fujian."
There were sighs of joy from those who defected to the Chinese imperial court. It was obvious that these people did not want to betray the Qing Dynasty, which was once regarded as the imperial court, and then be executed as traitors by the Qing Dynasty because they defected to the wrong person.
Qian Qing could understand everyone's anxiety, so he told everyone to just wait for the news. The main force of the Huaxia Army had already gathered in Zhenjiang from Shandong, Henan and other places. A decisive battle with the Qing army would soon take place. "As long as the Qing army is defeated in Jiangning, they will no longer be able to go down the river. If the court sends another detachment to deal with the Qing army in Fujian, Jiangnan will no longer have to worry every day."
Listening to Qian Qing's clear and effective story, Chen Mingtai became even more curious about Qian Qing, the future queen. It was not uncommon in Jiangnan for women to have a lot of say in the family. However, it was unprecedented to see a woman who held actual power and had a real status.
Could the Chinese court really allow such a situation to continue?
Qian Qing did not keep the meeting going for too long. He talked to the female civil servants for a while, encouraging them to have self-respect, self-love and self-confidence. Then the meeting ended.
After all, Qian Qing's purpose in going to Zhenjiang was not to make personnel arrangements for officials, but to command the Battle of Jiangning, which would determine the fate of Jiangnan.
As the battle situation continued to develop, the Qing army, upon learning that the Huaxia army had begun to send reinforcements, launched a new round of attacks on Jiangning City, intending to capture Jiangning in one fell swoop before the Huaxia army could assemble.
From the perspective of war, this is also the right approach. After all, the Chinese army has little time left for the Qing army. If the Qing army continues to delay, it will be trapped in a situation where there is a strong city in front and a siege behind.
Just when Qian Qing was preparing to mobilize his troops to move towards Jiangning, Lei Hu sent people to report that the Qing army had actually withdrawn.
In fact, Lei Hu himself did not dare to believe it. The Qing army had shown amazing courage before, and dared to fight hard against the Chinese army. And their performance in the siege was also remarkable. Just like that, Lei Hu made repeated investigations before he was completely sure.
At this time, the Qing army commander Fu Cha Fu Qing did not care. He had already ordered the army to withdraw with the awareness of death. The difficulties of retreating more than 100,000 troops could not be explained in a few words.
Fortunately, the Huaxia army did not chase after them out of the city, allowing the Qing army to run all the way and push them to a safe distance. Fu Qing rushed forward and arrived at Tianmen Mountain first to prepare for defense.
Tianmen Mountain is steep, like a knife cutting an axe, and it stands out in the river, facing each other across the river. It can be said that "the gate of heaven is interrupted and the river of Chu is opened". Among the two mountains, Dongliang Mountain is the steepest, towering in the middle of the river, making the Yangtze River turn northward, forming a strange scene of "clear water flows eastward to this point". In the distant place where the water and the sky meet, various ships shuttle back and forth through the "gate of heaven", allowing tourists to enjoy the beautiful scenery of nature; after passing the "gate of heaven" and going down the river, you can visit Caishiji, where the poet Li Bai embraces the moon in the river and rides a whale to the sky, and the tomb of Li Bai in Qingshan; not far down is Wujiang Town in Hexian County, where you can visit the Temple of Xiang Yu, the Overlord of Western Chu, who was born a hero and died a ghost hero and was defeated at Gaixia. There are many poems and songs about Tianmen Mountain, but the most imposing one is still Li Bai's poem "Looking at Tianmen Mountain": The gate of heaven is interrupted and the river of Chu is opened, and the clear water flows eastward to this point. Green mountains on both sides of the river face each other, and a lone sail comes from the horizon. This is the artistic conception of "Tianmen Smoke and Waves".
Looking at the mountain, for thousands of years, its unique mountain shape, water flow and rich historical and cultural heritage have attracted celebrities and poets from all generations to travel and write poems. However, the most impressive poem is still Li Bai's "Looking at Tianmen Mountain": Tianmen is broken and the Chu River is open, the clear water flows eastward and returns here. The green mountains on both sides face each other, and a lone sail comes from the sun. The artistic conception lies here.
Fu Qing knew that this was where he would die and he could not retreat.
The headquarters in Zhenjiang was very surprised by the news, and some even suspected that the Qing army was luring Lei Hu to fight and actually set an ambush. Qian Qing was not surprised, but just remembered the feeling of fighting with Ortai and Yue Zhongqi in Jining.
Both of them were experienced fighters in the Qing army. They commanded more than 100,000 troops to deal with Qian Qing, who had the advantage in field battles. Relying on effective and accurate troop deployment, they never gave Qian Qing any chance to catch the Qing army and defeat it.
After that period of tug-of-war, Qian Qing already felt that something was wrong. This time the feeling was similar to that time, which made Qian Qing even more concerned.
Zhenjiang and Jiangning are not far apart. Qian Qing led a division across the Yangtze River and marched along the south bank of the Yangtze River. Lei Hu heard that Qian Qing was coming and also sent troops to support him. The two sides easily met in Jiangning City.
The generals recounted their war experiences at the meeting. Qian Qing wanted to say something, but he couldn't. The Chinese army relied too much on firearms in their warfare, and this habit became more and more obvious in this battle.
Lei Hu saw that Qian Qing didn't say anything, and thought that this matter was serious. Just as he was about to ask tentatively, he didn't expect that the division commanders and other senior officers reacted faster than Lei Hu.
"Sister, is there something we did wrong?" Xu Min asked directly.
Xu Min asked first, and the others did not feel embarrassed and followed suit.
Although he knew that this group of people were led by Qian Qing, Lei Hu felt that he still underestimated the respect these old brothers had for Qian Qing. This also made Lei Hu a little disappointed, as he obviously did not have such authority.
Qian Qing didn't think so much. Since everyone was sincere, Qian Qing was honest with them. "Everyone followed you in the uprising. Over the years, you never let us die. If we were in danger, you would always stand in front of us and protect us."
Everyone nodded. This was the truth and there was nothing to argue about.
Seeing that no one in the crowd was ignorant, Qian Qing continued, "But sacrifice is inevitable. If you want to win in one fell swoop, everyone has to fight hard. I think everyone doesn't want to fight hard anymore, they just want to win."
Everyone was stunned, and many of them blushed, apparently feeling ashamed. After a moment of silence, Xu Min blushed and said, "Sister, I don't want anyone to die."
Qian Qing answered decisively: "No one wants to die. When have you ever stopped taking everyone's lives seriously?"
After saying this, everyone hesitated. The problem Qian Qing pointed out was correct, and everyone's choice could not be said to be wrong. However, everyone felt that something was wrong. But they could not tell what was wrong.
Qian Qing did not pursue the matter any further. "Since the Qing army has withdrawn, Jiangning is safe. The next battle is for us to fight towards the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. I only want to ask one question, do you think there is something wrong with us? No need to talk so much nonsense, just say yes or no!"
After hearing this, all the generals said, sooner or later, that something was indeed not right on their side.
Qian Qing replied: "In that case, I will go back to Linzi and tell you the current situation. You will definitely know what is going on. But I still have something to say. If you can point out the problem, do you want to listen?"
"Of course we have to listen to what the commander-in-chief says!" the generals answered without hesitation.
The Battle of Jiangning was similar to many previous battles, where more than 90% of the time and energy was spent on preparing for the war. The entire war process was simple and quick, as both sides tried their best and found that something was wrong, so they chose a very reasonable response.
Qian Qing summarized his experience of the battle along the way, made follow-up arrangements when he returned to Zhenjiang, and then returned to Linzi. Unexpectedly, Chen Mingtai asked to go with him to Linzi to meet Huo Chong. Qian Qing took Chen Mingtai with him.
At this time, the road was clear, and the group quickly arrived in Linzi. After Chen Mingtai met Huo Chong, they chatted for a while. Seeing Qian Qing's expression, Huo Chong sent someone to escort Chen Mingtai to see Master Changdao.
Chen Mingtai did not expect that Huo Chong would actually recommend him to see a Taoist priest. Huo Chong did not look like a believer in ghosts and gods, so he became interested.
I met Master Changxin here and chatted with him for a while. Master Changxin asked, "Mr. Chen, why do you think Taoists believe in ghosts and gods?"
Chen Mingtai never expected to be asked this question by a Taoist priest, and was stunned. However, Chen Mingtai was also knowledgeable, and when he couldn't find a reason, he apologized readily, "I don't know why I thought so. I think I read some books and believed what they said. I hope you can enlighten me. From your point of view, what do Taoist priests do?"
"What we cultivators seek is to become immortals. If we are unable to do so, we seek the Tao. If that is not possible, in order to maintain the sect, we resort to some tricks and make a living by exorcising ghosts and sending off gods. Mr. Huo said that when the Huaxia Dynasty is established, all religions will be turned into business groups. Mr. Chen's knowledge in this regard is not comparable to Mr. Huo's."
Chen Mingtai was really impressed by Master Chang Dao. Thinking back to the Taoists he had seen, even the Maoshan Taoists were mostly just for money. It would be fine if they were just for money, but they were still full of tricks. They were just a bunch of liars.
Feeling that he had risen from low-level interests to a certain height, Chen Mingtai asked, "Master, a layman like me would be at a loss at the moment. Every time I try my best, I find myself just a clown afterwards. I really don't want to give up."
"If Mr. Chen is not being polite, Mr. Chen is already a wise man. The reason why I feel like a clown is because we are clowns. When Yongzheng was in power, Mr. Huo fought back and Yongzheng was beheaded, making the world laugh. Everyone thinks he is just a clown, but they don't know it. If things didn't turn out that way, Mr. Huo would have come to Beijing and fought back, but was defeated and died. At that time, the clown was Mr. Huo."
Chen Mingtai shuddered when he heard this, and his heart was filled with excitement. After the shock passed, he could not help but nod repeatedly.
"Laozi said, 'Everyone in the world knows that beauty is beauty, and this is evil; everyone knows that goodness is goodness, and this is not good. Therefore, existence and non-existence are mutually generated, difficulty and ease complement each other, length and shortness compare, high and low lean against each other, sounds harmonize with each other, and the front and the back follow each other. Mr. Chen, if these things were written down or turned into words, everyone would have had the experience of discovering that they were a clown, and of course they wanted to make themselves strong and good. This is human nature, what's wrong with that?"
After hearing this, Chen Mingtai thought for a moment, then stood up and saluted, "The Taoist priest is truly a man of enlightenment."
The Taoist priest Chang Dao did not return the greeting, but continued, "If you want to become stronger, you often imitate others. It is just because you see that tigers are strong and human power cannot defeat them. I am just a kitten, and I don't know how to be as strong as a tiger. But does a tiger think it is strong? Please answer me, Mr. Chen."
Chen Mingtai thought about it again, and suddenly felt a little discouraged. He sat back in his seat dejectedly, "It is true. All things are created without complaint, born without possession, and act without reliance. It seems that I am still proud of my talent, but I don't know that I am just a few kittens."
"Strength and weakness are just comparisons, and are illusory. What you have is the real existence. Mr. Chen can understand this, and he is no longer an ordinary person. But if you want to become stronger, you have to learn."
Just when Chen Mingtai was completely convinced in front of Master Changxin, Qian Qing had finished expressing his feelings and then looked at Huo Chong.
Huo Chong was delighted. His eldest disciple did not disappoint him. He had seen the difficulties and even crises that the Chinese army was facing. With hope, Huo Chong asked, "How do you think this can be resolved?"
Qian Qing hesitated, "Do we need to transfer those unsuitable people away?"
Huo Chong asked: "Why do you do this?"
Qian Qing sighed, "Sir, these brothers also want to save face..."
Huo Chong didn't want to listen to Qian Qing's nonsense. "Qing'er, I don't want everyone to die, so I tried every means to improve the firearms. But many people just want to win. If they can achieve their own glory and wealth, it doesn't matter how many people die. They can only cry a few times and comfort their families. That's all. What we want now is to train cadres, to train cadres who can really make revolution. Otherwise, if it just goes on like this, more deaths in the future will be meaningless."
Seeing that Qian Qing still didn't quite understand, Huo Chong stopped explaining the theory and started talking about the specific implementation. "Qing'er, the army must have morals, and must have morals higher than ordinary people. Many of these people are not suitable to be soldiers. In this case, formulating rules and selecting people who are suitable for the army is the solution. You are really looking for fish in a tree if you expect a kitten to become a tiger. Cats are cats, and tigers are tigers. Even if tigers are born the same as cats, they are still different. If a group of cats are allowed to give orders in the position of tigers, it will only drive the tigers away from their rightful positions. We can't do such a thing."
After hearing this, Qian Qing knew that there was probably no other way, so he asked, "Sir, what should we do then?"
"The battle of Jiangning is over. We don't need to rush to pursue. We should first expand the military academy and improve the training. As long as there are new regulations and new requirements, those who are unsuitable can be selected naturally. But this will offend people."
Qian Qing immediately replied: "I'm not afraid."
Huo Chong was very satisfied with Qian Qing's reaction, so he replied: "It's not about whether you are afraid or not, but you have to let everyone understand it. Don't worry, just follow the steps."
Qian Qing agreed. Huo Chong smiled and said, "I recommend someone, a very interesting guy. Although Luo Yiren acted out of hatred, his reaction is very interesting. He is the candidate I am looking forward to. This time, the military academy will not only carry out military skills training, but also complete ideological and political education. You go and discuss it with Luo Yiren and see what the results are. In addition, I am considering moving the capital to Xuzhou. Although Kaifeng is a good place, it is too close to the Qing army. It is inevitable that a lot of troops will be involved. The military academy will be established in Xuzhou."
Qian Qing followed the order and called Luo Yiren over. After Luo Yiren greeted him, he sat down on the chair. Qian Qing immediately had a good impression of Luo Yiren.
In today's era, too many people are particularly flattering for the sake of status and power. You can see the clues by looking at their small details, such as their attitude towards those in power.
Qian Qing does not hate those who dare to express their power to those in power by relying on their own strength. If they are really capable, Qian Qing does not mind giving them power at all.
Although Luo Yiren acted steadily and his attitude was steady, he waited for Qian Qing to ask before he said, "Commander Qian, I have told your majesty before that the current situation is not about your majesty's ideals, but how much people in the world can understand your majesty's ideals. Your majesty said that everyone in the world thinks that having capital means improving their lives. If there is such an opportunity, they will never let it go. So if you are loyal to your majesty, fight to the death, and make a name for yourself, you can be promoted to an official position and do whatever you want. Your majesty is a heroic lord and will not let these people succeed. Then the people must understand the key points here. I can serve your majesty, and of course I also want to become a famous minister, but in comparison, I would rather serve your majesty and see if I can accomplish such a great thing."
"You mean, you agree with Mr.'s ideals, right?" Qian Qing replied calmly. At the moment, Luo Yiren was quite straightforward to call Huo Chong "Your Majesty". But such straightforwardness itself was very interesting. Many people did this for ulterior motives.
Luo Yiren was not so excited when talking about his ideals. "Ideals can be big or small. I don't think many people in the world can really understand them. But just do it."
