At the beginning of spring in the third year of Taisheng, the weather was still cold. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

Outside the Imperial Palace of Shengjing, not far from the Drum Tower.

Emperor Feng Yunshan, accompanied by Liu Shengbang, Zuo Zongtang and Fu Shanxiang, climbed to the second floor and looked into the distance.

Feng Yunshan was interested, and it happened that Zuo Zongtang said that there was something important to play, so he went to the drum tower to summon him, and he thought that the drum tower would ring the first bell of the new year, but he didn't expect that there was no bell on the upper floor of the drum tower.

Knowing Feng Yunshan's thoughts, Zuo Zongtang reported: "Your Majesty, this Jinling City Drum Tower, the scale is grand, the momentum is majestic, it is the place where the Ming Dynasty beat the drum to tell the time, for the whole Jinling City people day and night to tell the time, sometimes also used to welcome the king, receive the edict and other celebrations, can be called the symbol of the capital of the Ming Dynasty. Only to the Manchu Dynasty, the drum tower only left the city, after the Qing demon chief Kangxi south tour, here to climb the four looks, the local official of the horse only in the drum tower pedestal tree tablet to build a building, and renamed "tablet tower", after the Kingdom of Heaven captured Jinling City, dismantle the stone tablet of the Qing demon, originally wanted to restore the establishment of the big bell, has not yet had time. His Majesty has this Yaxing, but he can order the Ministry of Public Works to set up a big bell again, and by the way, it can also restore the former glory of the Ming Dynasty, and serve the time for the people in the city, and it will also become a good story in Shengjing. ”

Feng Yunshan was moved by Zuo Zongtang's words, nodded, and said to Fu Shanxiang on the side: "In this case, Shanxiang, you write it down, go back and let the Ministry of Public Works cast a big bell, hang it in this bell tower, and restore the former grandeur!" ”

Fu Shanxiang on the side smiled like a flower, nodded and recorded it.

Now, Fu Shanxiang has been officially canonized as a noble man by Feng Yunshan, which means that he has the talent to become the imperial secretary of the emperor of the Chinese Empire.

Feng Yunshan looked at Zuo Zongtang and sighed: "This monument is changeable in the world, let alone mortals in the world?" Only live in the moment, do things for the people, and base yourself on your heart! ”

Zuo Zongtang and Liu Shengbang heard the emperor's words, and they both bowed their heads in admiration and did not dare to say more.

After a while, Zuo Zongtang remembered his intentions and respectfully reported: "Your Majesty, last winter, the captive army fought in all directions, and won great victories. ”

Looking at Feng Yunshan with a smile on his face and looking at himself, Zuo Zongtang said in detail: "The General Staff Department receives the battle reports of the armies on the front line, and Weichen has come to report to Your Majesty. In the northeast, the main force of the capture army, the 1st Division, the 8th Division, the 9th Division, and the 1st Division, as well as the 10th Division and the 5th Division, a total of nearly 70,000 troops, attacked the remnants of the Manchu forces in Liaodong by land and water. In the autumn of last year, the 1st Division, the 8th Division, and the 1st Division B set out from the capital city of Jinzhou, went all the way north, successively captured Yizhou and Guangning, and occupied hundreds of Manchu Huangzhuang and grain villages. Before winter, because of the cold weather, most of the soldiers were southerners, and it was difficult to adapt to the extremely cold weather in Shengjing, so they had to return to Jinzhou for the winter. In terms of waterways, part of the 10th and 5th Divisions carried the officers and men of the 9th Division, set out from Tianjin and Dengzhou, crossed the Bohai Sea, and landed at the mouth of the Liaohe River, which is closest to Shengjing, at a coastal fishing village called Tianzhuangtai. Advancing by land and water, going north along the Liao River, by surprise, it took only a few days to capture the two counties of Niuzhuang City and Haicheng. It has gained a firm foothold in Liaodong. ”

However, the officers and men of the 9th and 10th Divisions of the Marine Regiment were still not adapted to the cold weather in Liaodong, and more than 10 officers and men died of illness due to physical discomfort, and more than 200 people were infected with wind and cold, and the rest of the officers and men were also unable to hold their muskets tightly due to the cold, let alone aim. It was really difficult to fight, so just in case, the soldiers of the 9th Division did not attack further north, but only guarded Niuzhuang City and Haicheng. When Zuo Zongtang said this, he said with some self-reproach: "Your Majesty, Weichen is guilty, please be punished!" His Majesty asked Wechen to be in charge of the General Staff, and Wechen thought that although he couldn't do everything, he tried his best to consider everything. Before sending troops to Liaodong, Weichen also thought that the weather in Liaodong was cold, but he only thought that it was not wrong to wear cold clothes and hold a blade in his hand, but he didn't expect that now the soldiers of the captive army are mainly muskets, and it is difficult to change ammunition and aim with gloves, and it is difficult to shoot. It's Weichen's fault, he didn't think it through, he didn't expect the cold to have such a big impact on the musket. ”

"Ji Gao, you don't have to blame yourself. You are a literati, and it is I who have kept you in the position of the General Staff, and some negligence is inevitable. In a few days, I will have a competent helper come and help you, you just need to grasp the strategic situation and be loyal to me, these tactical details can be prepared, let him do it, he is an expert. Feng Yunshan didn't blame, and comforted Zuo Zongtang a few words: "If you want to talk about responsibility, I also have a share." I still don't think deeply about the impact of the cold in the north. It just so happened that we should take this opportunity to let the soldiers exercise well in the north, first, to adapt to the cold weather in the north, and second, to train a group of troops to fight in the cold areas. ”

When Feng Yunshan said this, he thought of the outer northeast region and the distant Siberian region further north. He had long regarded these two places as his own, and sooner or later he would have to send troops to occupy them. Nowadays, this land of Liaodong, compared with the cold of those two places, is just a small fight. If you can't even adapt to this cold, then how can the two places be able to do it in the future?

"Your Majesty, this is not only the case in Liaodong. The soldiers in the northwest also encountered this problem of cold weather. ”

"Ji Gao, what can you do?" Feng Yunshan asked.

"Your Majesty, the first is to let the soldiers exercise more time. The soldiers were all southerners and had never spent the winter in the Northlands, so they were a bit unsuitable. In addition, although the logistics office of the General Staff is equipped with some cotton clothes, it still seems that it is not good enough, and Weichen has asked the logistics office to refer to the military uniforms of the Mongolian and Manchurian soldiers to improve it. After the soldiers have adapted to a winter, they will be much better in the cold winter of the next year. Zuo Zongtang seemed to have a countermeasure, and continued: "The second is to recruit local elites in the north to join the captive army. In the future, they will be the main force to fight as the soldiers of the northern army. The soldiers from the north themselves have adapted to the cold, and if they are trained, the situation will improve a lot. ”

"Not bad! Ji Gao's words are reasonable! By the way, I just talked about the war in the northwest, and the situation is clear. After the spring of the next year, troops must be sent to Xinjiang, Ji Gao, in your opinion, how many troops should be needed? Feng Yunshan asked.

Zuo Zongtang said tentatively: "Your Majesty is worried that Xinjiang is too far away, logistics supplies are difficult to transport, there are too many troops, and the cost is huge?" And send too few troops, and are afraid that it will be difficult to occupy, or even lose the war? ”

Feng Yunshan frowned and said, "Not bad! Or Ji Gao, you know what I mean. ”

"Your Majesty, Xinjiang is indeed a long way off. Now, the 3rd Division and the 3rd Division have occupied Shaanxi and Gannan and other places, and Chen Yucheng led the cavalry of the 3rd Division to attack the Alxa Erlut Banner garrison in Mongolia. The 4th and 6th Divisions also occupied Lanzhou and Xining, and wanted to continue to wave their divisions, but due to the influence of the severe cold weather, they stayed in the city to avoid the cold, and when the weather warmed up, they marched into Ganbei and other places. Your Majesty, it is better to order Commander Liang, who is loyal to Your Majesty, to be the governor of Xinjiang, and let him lead the two armies of the Fourth Division and the Sixth Division and the new army to form the Xinjiang Army, march all the way to supply on the spot, and even move the people from Gansu and other places to garrison troops to open up the wasteland, not seeking to be fast, but to occupy Xinjiang step by step steadily. Zuo Zongtang said his thoughts.

Feng Yunshan slapped the stone battlements on the wall of the drum tower and shouted: "Ji Gao's method is wonderful!" Exactly! ”

He remembered that the later generations of General Wang Huzi were able to govern Xinjiang safely, and in addition to iron-blooded means, the large-scale migration of Han people from Gansu and the interior into Xinjiang was indispensable.

It just so happened that after the floods in Shandong, some of the victims were reluctantly resettled, but they still lacked land, and the Shaanxi and Gansu regions, which are closest to Xinjiang, have a large population and are close to Xinjiang, which is suitable for immigration.

As for the policy of dealing with Xinjiang, Feng Yunshan has also made a plan, which is the simplest and most effective: carrots and sticks!

Regarding the heavy troops stationed in Xinjiang by the Manchu Qing Dynasty, nearly 20,000 Manchu and Mongolian flag soldiers, Feng Yunshan did not think much about it at all. As soon as the captive army arrives, even if these Eight Banners disciples stationed at the border pass have some combat power, it is very limited, and with the strong firepower of the captive army, the other party will inevitably be difficult to parry.

More importantly, Feng Yunshan has already asked people to do an investigation, according to the confession of the former household officials of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, in the past 20 years or so of Daoguang and Xianfeng of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, the military and political expenditure of more than 30,000 garrisons and thousands of government officials in the whole of Xinjiang every year will require 2 to 3 million taels of silver, and Xinjiang's annual tax revenue is only more than 100,000 taels.

This huge gap was entirely dependent on the Manchu court and the provinces in the interior to pay for it. Since the Taiping Rebellion, the Manchu Dynasty's finances have deteriorated, and the support for Xinjiang's salaries has been greatly reduced. Especially after overthrowing the Manchu Qing Dynasty, Xinjiang lost the support of the Manchu court, and has not been able to release the deposit and silver to Xinjiang for more than a year.

Moreover, the military rations of these Eight Banners garrisons have to rely on these salaries and silver, which are purchased from Xinjiang locally, and if there is no food and salary, I am afraid that these Eight Banners soldiers, who have always been arrogant, will directly snatch them in Xinjiang, and it will even cause contradictions between the local people of the Wuer tribe against the Eight Banners. In this case, it will be easier to occupy Xinjiang.