The Qi Army Headquarters Building is located in the northeast of Xuanwu District, Chang'an, built on a half-hillside, the main building, the side building and the rear building are connected to the quadrangle layout, and the gate is the traditional five-bay hanging mountain main entrance, facing the main building. And the main building is in the form of a city tower, a castle-like five-story bell tower protrudes in the middle, the oriental cylindrical type and the arch coupon are built with bricks to form the outer corridor around it, the triangular truss, the gray eaves roof, there are the east and west auxiliary buildings and the back building behind the main building, and the outer corridor is combined with the dark gray slab wall and the arch coupon.

On the square in front of the main building, there are two flagpoles of more than 20 meters, which are hung with the imperial yellow dragon flag and the army flag, which flutter with the gentle breeze.

Looking at it from a distance, the entire army headquarters building looks magnificent and magnificent, faintly revealing a solemn and solemn military atmosphere.

Li Yanliang stopped in front of the Army Headquarters building for a moment, then took a deep breath and walked to the guard post in front of the building.

When several guards saw Li Yanliang approaching, they immediately put their feet together, stood upright with their guns, saluted him, and then looked at him with a scrutinizing face.

Li Yanliang handed over the orders from the army headquarters and the certificates issued by the Xizhou garrison to the sentry officer headed by him.

After carefully checking Li Yanliang's order and identification, the officer on duty nodded, and then invited him to enter the lounge next to him for a while. The dispatch was then given to a guard, who was ordered to enter the building and present it to the appropriate docking department.

"Brother is also here to work at the headquarters?"

There were already seven or eight officers in the duty room who were waiting to be interviewed, and when they saw Li Yanliang coming in, the conversation immediately stopped, and they all turned their eyes to him. One of the captains (captains) sitting on the side stepped aside, greeted him with a smile, and made room vacant.

"Yes, sir."

"Where did you hold a position before?"

"He was previously in the garrison of the western states of India."

"Oh?" The Imperial Commander couldn't help but look him up and down when he heard this, and the corners of his mouth showed a hint of ridicule, "Why, you are cooperating with the Persian Expeditionary Force to attack Afghanistan over there, and the fight is lively, but you are returning to the mainland to take up your post?" ”

"Yes, sir." Li Yanliang heard his questioning tone, his face froze for a moment, and he suddenly felt a little dissatisfied.

Don't you think I'm greedy and afraid of death, and I run away when I fight?

After receiving this appointment, I was still a little baffled!

"Speaking of the ongoing Persian war, how long do you think it will take?" A lieutenant (lieutenant colonel) said with a smile: "We are all colleagues in the army, and we don't need to pay attention to any military rank, everyone can talk freely and share their opinions." ”

"This time, our Qi country dispatched more than 20,000 troops, and fought an Afghan tribal armed force with extremely backward weapons and equipment, and I believe that in a very short period of time, we will be able to recover Isfahan, annihilate the Afghan rebels, and eventually help the Safavid Dynasty re-establish its rule in Persia. This time should not exceed six months at most. Moreover, most of this time is probably wasted on long marches! ”

"It shouldn't be difficult to defeat the Afghan tribal rebels in six months, but it won't be possible to annihilate them all. As far as I know, after Afghanistan captured Isfahan, in a short period of time, it successively captured several surrounding provinces, and then through military coercion, it recruited many local powerful factions, almost controlled more than half of the territory of Persia, and also established the Khotak dynasty with a crown. ”

"Yes, I also don't think six months will completely calm the situation in Persia. You must know that most of the Afghan tribal rebels who invaded Persia were cavalry units. After they captured Isfahan, they were bound to have a great deal of power, and even if their cavalry did not expand on a large scale, they were certainly not weak in terms of logistical mobility. In this way, although our Qi army is strong, it is estimated that it will be difficult to really carry out a annihilating blow to it. ”

"Don't forget, in addition to helping the Safavids expel the Afghans, we also need to deter the Ottoman Empire and Tsarist Russia from western and northwestern Persia by force and force them to withdraw from Persia. As a result, the expeditionary force will face extremely difficult challenges. ”

"Do you say that the Afghan tribal rebels, in the event of defeat of our expeditionary force landing in Persia, will directly turn around and flee back to Afghanistan and fight a long-lasting guerrilla war with us with the help of the long and rugged mountainous terrain? If this is the case, not to mention six months, even two or three years will not be able to completely wipe out the Afghan tribal rebels. ”

"If you say that, it's really possible. Afghanistan's special topography is very suitable for guerrilla warfare. On the other hand, under such mountainous terrain, our Qi army is not suitable for launching a large-scale attack at all, let alone maintaining the logistics support of our army. If this is to be fought, it may take a long time, and it may drag on for three or five years. ”

"What do you think of this Lieutenant Renyong (lieutenant)?" The Captain Ling Lu turned his head to look at Li Yanliang.

"Me?" Li Yanliang was stunned for a moment, then quickly organized the thoughts in his mind, and said: "Sir, colleagues, our Qi country formed an expeditionary army to attack the Afghan tribal rebels in order to restore the Safavid dynasty's rule in Persia, safeguard the major interests of our Qi country in the Gulf region, and consolidate the hegemony of our Qi country in the entire Indian Ocean region. If the Afghans fled back to Kandahar, they thought that it would be better to leave them to fend for themselves, and there was no need to send a large army into Afghanistan to increase consumption. ”

"Huh? …… In your opinion, that is, my expeditionary army will drive the Afghan tribal rebels out of Persia? In this way, isn't it not the end of evil and the fight of snakes without death? ”

"It is precisely because of the threat of the Afghans that it is justified for our Qi country to garrison Persia and control key points within its borders." Li Yanliang said softly.

"Oh? So, why did our Qi country send the Indian garrison army to join the army of the Kharat Khanate to invade Afghanistan together? The Captain Ling asked with an impassive expression.

"The invasion of Afghanistan by the coalition forces of our Qi country on the western route is naturally to threaten the back road of the Afghans. But more importantly, we need to support a few tribal forces close to our Qi country in the local area, so as to intervene in the situation in Afghanistan and exert our Qi country's influence. Rather than rushing into Afghanistan with a large army and trying to wipe out the country. You know, the rebels who invaded Persia and almost destroyed the Safavid dynasty were just one of many tribal forces in Afghanistan. There is no need for our Qi country to include all the tribes within its territory in the scope of the attack, which is neither necessary nor inevitable for us. ”

"You mean, even if our Qi army invades Afghanistan, we should stop at it and not need to get deeply involved?"

"Sir, the Mughal Empire invaded Afghanistan and the Bukhara Khanate eighty years ago, intending to bring that vast area under the control of the Mughal Empire. It is reported that the war lasted for several years, costing the Mughal Empire tens of millions of rupees, and in the end it gained nothing but heavy losses and had to return to Delhi. Although the military strength of our Qi State is also stronger than that of the Mughal Empire, we must ask ourselves to ask ourselves, is it really necessary to completely conquer and conquer this mountain country? And what do we get out of it? ”

"What do you get? Since ancient times, the major affairs of the country have been in worship and worship. Since our Qi country dominated the Indian Ocean, it has conquered the four provinces and conquered the subordinates, so as to establish the great martial arts of our Qi country. A brave lieutenant said excitedly: "If we only expel the invading Afghan tribal rebels from Persia, and do not plow and sweep the holes and deal a devastating blow to them, how can we show the prestige of our country?" Moreover, our Qi country has been in India for decades, and it has become an exclusive trend, which is where the core interests of our Qi country lie. If absolute security is to be ensured, the Afghan region must be controlled as a shield for the north. That being the case, how can our Qi army not enter Afghanistan in a big way? At the very least, it is necessary to subdue some of the most powerful tribes in the region in order to form an effective deterrent. ”

"That's right!" The captain (captain) sitting next to Li Yanliang said: "If our army does not enter the Afghan region, maybe the navy people will laugh at us again, thinking that we dare not go deep into the interior, and are only willing to carry out military strikes along the coastline under the protection of their naval guns." Our army masters, we can't afford to lose this person! ”

"Sir, war can't be done rashly on the spur of the moment!" Li Yanliang said unconvinced: "You must know that any war involves the lives of thousands of brothers, and it may also affect the future fate of the empire, so you should be cautious." ”

"For the empire to expand its territory, why should the men in our army spare their lives! You must know that every time we fight one more war now, future generations will be able to experience one less ordeal of blood and fire. ”

"It is necessary to know that war pays attention to time, place, and people......"

"Lieutenant Renyong (Lieutenant) Li Yanliang!"

Li Yanliang was about to continue arguing with him, when suddenly a sentry officer walked in and called his name loudly.

"Here!"

"General Lu, the chief of staff, wants to see you."

"Thank you." Li Yanliang turned his head and nodded in apology to the many officers in the room, and then followed the officer on duty out of the lounge.

"Yo, what is the identity of this Captain Renyong? It had only been a while since he was summoned into the building. Moreover, it was the Chief of Staff who met in person! ”

"Most of them are the sons of high-ranking officials and nobles."

"What do you mean? When such a gentleman mixes into the army, he will only talk about it, and if he really wants to go to the battlefield, he must not be strained! ”

"What are you guessing one by one? …… I think he has just analysed the situation in Persia and Afghanistan quite insightfully. ”

“……”

Although the scale of the Qi Army is not large, its structure is very complete, and it is divided into a combat command, a general staff, a logistics and equipment department, and a training and mobilization department.

The General Staff Headquarters, which is in charge of both operational command and military administration, has always been the most important department of the army, and its main responsibilities are to collect and provide intelligence, draw up and organize the implementation of strategic campaign plans and mobilization plans, direct and coordinate the combat operations of all services, theaters, and armed organizations, and take charge of the army's organizational building, equipment planning, military training, and administrative management.

At this time, Lu Hongbin, who was the chief of the General Staff and the general (general) of the army hussars, sat on a soft chair and looked at the captain officer in front of him with great interest through the heavy desk.

"Li Yanliang?"

"Humble duty!"

"You have served for four years since you graduated from the Daxing Army School in the sixteenth year of Taiping (1720)."

"Yes, General!"

"Judging from the comments of various officers in your unit, you are doing well."

"General Xie's compliment!"

"What are your expectations for your own development?"

"Don't dare to expect too much, everything obeys the arrangement of the headquarters!"

"Oh?" Lu Hongbin looked at the young lieutenant officer playfully, "With your experience, how can you not have a little thought?" ”

"......" Li Yanliang pursed his lips, did not speak, and continued to maintain a solemn state.

"Hehe......" Lu Hongbin smiled, and then said: "The General Staff is going to transfer you to the post as a staff officer of the Equipment Planning Department, do you have any opinions?" ”

"Humble obedience!"

"In view of your previous outstanding performance in the army and a number of military exploits, in the near future, you will be promoted to the rank of captain (captain) of the imperial military force, and I hope that in the future, I will not forget the idea of serving the country, fulfill my duties, and make new contributions to the empire and the army."

"General Xie!"

"Well, there you go."

"......" Li Yanliang saluted Lu Hongbin, but did not leave immediately, but hesitated as if he wanted to ask something.

"Do you still have questions?"

"I want to ask ......" Li Yanliang hesitated for a moment, and then asked boldly: "I want to ask, is this transfer and promotion because of my ...... Family? ”

"Huh? …… Then let me ask you, did your previous performance and military exploits depend on your family background and background? ”

"I served in the army with a humble position, and I never had any selfish thoughts!"

"Then I can also tell you that your transfer and promotion, the General Staff does not have any selfish distractions!" Lu Hongbin said with a serious expression: "In my Lu's eyes, there is only fairness and justice. I don't care if you are a member of the royal family or a son of a noble family, but if you want to enter my army, you should follow the military regulations, no exception! ”

"General, I understand my humble duties!" Li Yanliang saluted Lu Hongbin again, and then turned to leave.

"Huh, fairness and justice?" After Li Yanliang left the room, Lu Hongbin leaned lightly on the soft chair and sneered, "If you weren't the grandson of the late eldest princess Le'an, Your Majesty's cousin, I'm afraid you would still be drilling a ravine in the Afghan war zone at this time." ”

"Knock knock!" There was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Lu Hongbin sat up straight and looked up at the door.

"General, there is a message from Qianzhou (South Africa)." A Xuanjie lieutenant (major) walked quickly in front of Lu Hongbin, saluted a military salute, handed him a piece of information, and said with a solemn face: "Three months ago, an armed conflict broke out between the South African detachment of the Navy's Western Indian Ocean Fleet and British ships in the Gulf of Guinea. ”

"Oh? What causes it? ”

"Several British slave catchers were about to land in the territory of the Kingdom of Waita near the Gulf of Guinea to buy slaves, but they were intercepted by our naval ships. The Admiralty is in urgent consultation and may request that more warships be deployed to West Africa in case of unforeseen needs. ”

"Hehe......" Lu Hongbin smiled, "In the entire European region, the countries that have imposed trade bans on our Qi goods are the most important. In response to this, the Cabinet Government was already dissatisfied with this, and ordered the Minister in Britain to hold several rounds of consultations with the British, but no satisfactory results were obtained. This conflict may turn into a war. ”

(End of chapter)