Republic April 1898, Dali City.

"His Highness went to Yu Province and never left." Li Jinghuai said with some disappointment: "We can't make our suggestion. ”

After the conquest of Dali, the main force of the field army will return to its respective stations, and only a small number of field armies in rotation will be retained as the core in a few important strongholds and cities, and the reserves and militia will be the main body stationed in the local area.

In a few years, when the Han Chinese population in the new Yunnan province grows to a certain number, the empire will form a new field army here.

The empire has always been this process for newly conquered territories.

However, before the formation of the Yunnan Provincial Field Army, the defense of the province mainly relied on a small number of field armies, a large number of reserves and militia.

Therefore, there is no need for a lieutenant general to be stationed in Yunnan Province, and Li Jinghuai is about to leave and go to the location of the Yanjing General Staff to report, and by the way, report on the lessons learned from the Dali War.

"That suggestion, don't mention it if you don't mention it."

Li Jinghuai's chief of staff replied in an indifferent tone:

"I suddenly feel that it would be good for the emperor to continue to do it for a few years."

"Why?" Li Jinghuai asked.

"Because of what His Highness did in Dengfeng this time, didn't you find out? Execute hundreds of people and exile tens of thousands! And it is possible to expand it. ”

The chief of staff smiled and said:

"These things, in any era, are earth-shattering cases, the kind that can be in the history books."

"Such a big case, to be honest, I doubt now that the history books will describe it, maybe the current period will be described as tyrannical? If that's the case, it's actually good to let the emperor bear this infamy, and after a few years, when these bad things are almost dealt with, His Highness will go up again, so that His Highness's eloquence can probably be used in more important places. ”

"Where is it more important? What could be more important now? ”

"Expand." The Chief of Staff replied: "Let Your Majesty bear the infamy, and in the meantime straighten out domestic affairs, and in the future, when Your Highness ascends the throne, we may expand on a larger scale again, and then it will be an opportunity for our soldiers to make meritorious contributions." ”

"Hehe, what else is there to expand? Now that many places have been sealed out, can they still be managed if they expand? ”

"I don't know where I'm going to expand then, maybe Tianzhu? Maybe it's more western, and indirect control has to be controlled, because I now feel like we can't stop expanding. ”

Li Jinghuai thought for a while, and said with some uncertainty: "You mean, we have become a burden to His Highness?" ”

Why can't the expansion stop? It can only be that the appetite of the military merit group is getting bigger and bigger, and it can only continue to expand to satisfy the appetite of the military merit group. In this case, even if there is no opponent, you have to create an opponent.

"What do you think, Your Excellency? You've been thinking about adding to Your Highness's yellow robe before, why? Don't you still think that after Your Majesty ascends the throne, he can fight for more benefits for the military and give you more opportunities? To be honest, that's why I chose to support you before. ”

"So you don't want to support me now?"

"Well, that's it, once this big case comes out, I don't think it's bad to wait a few years." The chief of staff replied: "I think there are quite a few people in our military who have your kind of thinking before, right?" And now, I guess there are many people who have the same idea of waiting and waiting. After all, we soldiers are also human beings, and we don't like to have a bad reputation, right? ”

"I think that the reputation in the history books is meaningless, and the historians may not scold us as you think." Li Jinghuai muttered: "As for our plan, I will talk to the others when I go back, if they don't support it either, then wait for another two years - but I'll say it first, just two years!" ”

……

The Imperial Army is not a PLA, and it is much looser than the PLA in terms of style, especially the salaries of the soldiers of the field army are very high, and there are many holidays in peacetime, so as soon as a field army barracks are built somewhere, some people who specialize in soldier business will quickly appear nearby.

Among these people were small traders who came to buy small booty from the soldiers and sell wine and meat to the soldiers, as well as maidens who provided services to the soldiers.

It's good business, soldiers are always willing to spend some money to relax after intense battles and training, and officers don't manage soldiers on vacation too strictly.

Among the traders who do business near the barracks, the most common ones are one or two stewards, with 7 or 8 foreign girls (because they are cheap and do not cause trouble, if they are Han girls, they will die if they are accused of taking Han as slaves), temporarily set up a few tents or rent a few houses near the barracks, and start picking up customers.

This is the case of this small mobile Jiyuan near the Dali garrison: three businessmen who are part-time thugs who take care of the girls at the same time, with 3 Fusang and 4 local Dali girls, rent a courtyard less than half a mile from the garrison, and open the door to welcome guests.

However, this Himein is different from others in that it seems to be often full, so it is closed for customers.

This is the case today.

On the second floor of this small courtyard, a man with a gloomy face quietly glanced in the direction of the barracks through the window, and in the night, there were still troops training in the field army camp.

According to the military system in Huaxia, it is probably a company of men and horses? Armed with torches and guns, they shouted slogans, left the camp in formation and began to run in circles around the Dali city wall.

The man looked at the air for a while, and then closed the window and said to the others in the room: "I have to admit that the soldiers of the Chinese thieves are indeed elite, and these days, I have never seen them not practice for a day." ”

"Needless to say, it's something I've known for a long time." A white young man said, "Sit down, Zhao Tianshi, we can't win against them in the battle array." ”

"Yes, little prince." The man who was called Zhao Tianshi by the young man bowed and sat down in front of him honestly.

"We can't win in the battle array, but we can avenge our Dali in other ways!" The young man continued: "This king has received news that the Chinese army near Dali is returning to the north, and it won't be long before the soldiers and horses of the local Chinese thieves will be reduced to a minimum. ”

"And at that time, Xu Shiyang's thief should almost come to Dali."

The young man smiled a little proudly:

"Originally, he should have come earlier, at that time there were tens of thousands of thieves in Dali City, and there was nothing we could do about it, no matter how high our kung fu was, but now it is different, Xu Shiyang was stumped by the matter of Shaosen Temple, and it was delayed for several months, and when he came, there were not so many garrisons in the city, and small-scale battles were exactly where our kung fu came in!"

"Therefore, this king has decided that the day Xu Shiyang comes to Dali is the time when I wait to take his head!"