Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 434 Marching Route

After arranging the troops and personnel for the expedition, Liu Ye looked at the somewhat dejected Shi Ying: "There are reasons why the First Regiment is not on the expedition list this time: First, we are, after all, a newly established military town. It would be too ostentatious to suddenly be able to pull out 10,000 or 20,000 elite troops. It's better to keep a low profile and bide our time. Second, fighting is one thing, but the training of the local militia and new recruits cannot be delayed. After all, fighting bandits is not a life-or-death battle and does not require the mobilization of the entire army. You are also the vice principal of the military academy, and the training of new junior officers also depends on you. Therefore, we can only leave you behind."

Shi Ying was initially somewhat annoyed, but now he understood the implication: the reason he wasn't taken on the expedition wasn't because he doubted Shi Ying's command abilities, but because Shi Ying needed him to oversee the training of new recruits and officers in preparation for the next round of troop expansion. His mood improved considerably, and he immediately declared, "Whether at the front or in the rear, I will serve the general. I will certainly do what the general assigns me."

Liu Ye asked, "I naturally trust you to handle things. How many soldiers are still stationed in the Qionghai Army who haven't been incorporated yet?"

"Reporting to the general, there are more than 4,600 young and strong immigrants among the new arrivals. The longest they have been in Lingao is no more than two months. The time is too short, so they have not yet been incorporated into the Qionghai Army."

"There's no rush. They're new here, so they need time to adapt. Once they've been tempered by farming and training, learned how to live in a community, and developed a sense of obedience, then they can be incorporated into the army. That will be much more effective," Liu Ye said. "You need to be prepared. This time, when we go to fight the bandits, we might bring back some refugees. The population of Lingao and even Qiongzhou Prefecture will continue to increase, and the number of able-bodied men and soldiers will also rise accordingly. Your training burden will not only be heavier, but it will also be heavier. You must ensure that while fighting, the training of reserve forces keeps up so that you can replenish wartime losses and expand the army at any time."

Shi Ying was both surprised and delighted: "General, you want to take advantage of the refugees?"

Liu Ye laughed and said, "I just have this idea, but no one can guarantee whether it can be done. Let's wait and see when we get there. I just feel that there are fewer and fewer immigrants in Shandong, while tens of thousands of refugees in Shaanxi and Henan are being used as cannon fodder by people like Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong. It's such a waste. These are readily available labor and soldiers."

Sun Yuanhua said, "If the general can successfully relocate the refugees to Qiongzhou, it will be a blessing for Qionghai Town and for the refugees themselves. We will gain manpower, and the people will be freed from their suffering..."

Yan Guang chuckled: "And the most important point is that the reason why the bandits are not eradicated is because they rely on coercing displaced people. Even if the government troops defeat the bandits, these bandit leaders can raise an army of tens of thousands overnight. If we can move the displaced people away, it will be like cutting off the fuel supply. In the long run, the bandits will lose their source of troops and will collapse on their own."

Sun Yuanhua's eyes lit up: "This is an unexpected bonus in addition to benefiting the people. I suggest that the general plan ahead and prepare to accept the refugees."

Liu Ye nodded and said, "This suggestion can be adopted. Then the Quartermaster Bureau and the Military Affairs Staff Office should negotiate to determine the route for advancing into Fengyang and relocating the refugees from Henan, as well as the transportation procedures along the way and at sea. Report the results of the discussion to me within three days."

Sun Yuanhua and Yan Guang both replied, "Your subordinates obey."

With everything arranged, everyone left on their own.

Three days later, Yan Guang and Sun Yuanhua arrived at Nanyuan and reported the results of their discussions over the past few days to Liu Ye.

Yan Guang hung up a hand-drawn map of Anhui and Jiangsu provinces—all military maps were completed under Liang Xiaoming's guidance. Although the scale and distances were somewhat distorted, the locations of the prefectures and cities were fairly accurate, much better than the impressionistic style maps of the same period—and introduced it as follows: "After discussions between the Military Staff Office and the Supply Bureau, it was unanimously agreed that whether it was the Qionghai Army advancing into Fengyang or the future transfer of refugees from Henan to the sea, the best transfer point was none other than Nanjing."

Liu Ye looked at the map and asked, "Why?"

Yan Guang pointed to Nanjing on the map and explained, "Whether we go there or back, the closest port to Zhongdu Fengyang is Nanjing. We can go directly to Nanjing Port along the Yangtze River and then head north. It's only a little over a hundred miles by land. If we were to march to Fengyang from other places, the shortest route would be several hundred miles by land, which would be much more physically demanding."

Sun Yuanhua continued, "If we recruit refugees, they can board ships in Nanjing, travel along the Yangtze River to the sea, thus avoiding the need for them to travel too much by land and collapse and die along the way due to exhaustion."

Liu Ye agreed, saying, "That's a very thoughtful consideration. Whether it's marching or transporting refugees, we can't afford to waste too much energy and time on land. If we can take the sea route, we should do so."

Sun Yuanhua continued, “As for transporting the grain needed by the refugees, it would be difficult to transport it directly from Qiongzhou, as we did when we quelled the rebellion in Shandong. Firstly, the number of troops we have mobilized this time is far greater than last time, and we are already struggling to ensure the supply of military provisions, let alone the provisions for the refugees; secondly, although we can reach Nanjing directly from the Yangtze River, the river is not like the sea, and large ships with too deep a draft may not be able to enter the Yangtze River, which limits the amount of grain that can be transported…”

Liu Ye nodded, indicating his understanding. During the suppression of the rebellion in Shandong, the Qiongzhou garrison's total strength was only two thousand men. Now, just one regiment alone has reached five thousand. Adding artillery and support personnel transporting artillery, the total number could reach six thousand, almost tripling. The required military rations will naturally increase exponentially, putting even greater pressure on transportation. Furthermore, the hydrological conditions of the Yangtze River are still unclear. To avoid running aground or hitting reefs, large ocean-going vessels cannot enter the Yangtze, further limiting transportation capacity.

"So, how does the Quartermaster Bureau solve this problem?"

Sun Yuanhua pointed to the location of Nanjing on the map: "Jiangnan is the most prosperous place in the Ming Dynasty. Although grain production has not been as good as in Huguang and other places in recent years, as long as there is silver, there will always be no shortage of grain. I suggest that the army be self-sufficient in grain and purchase other necessities locally."

Liu Ye looked at Yan Guang inquiringly: "You're from Nanjing, is the plan to purchase grain locally feasible?"

Yan Guang replied confidently, "Please rest assured, General. There are countless wealthy and powerful families in Jiangnan, each owning tens of thousands of acres of fertile land. There are also countless powerful grain merchants. As long as you have the money, there is absolutely no reason why you cannot buy grain."

Looking at the map, Liu Ye nodded and said, "This plan is good. We'll go with yours: the route for advancing and transporting the refugees will be via Nanjing by waterway. The army will carry its own food supplies, while the rations for recruiting refugees will be purchased locally in the Nanjing area."

The route to Fengyang was thus set, and the Qionghai Navy's war machine began to operate efficiently once again. Weapons, ammunition, and food were gradually put in place, and the soldiers of the Second Regiment were also ready and waiting for an order to rush to the Central Plains battlefield.