Dominate the Country

Chen Ming's busy schedule in Guangzhou lasted until late October, when it came to an end. Then Chen Ming convened a meeting of civil and military officials. Before leaving Guangzhou, he had to hold a meeting to set future rules. And he was going back to Lushan during the Chinese New Year this year.

And this trip would not take the sea route. He would go north from Guangzhou to Shaozhou, enter Hunan, pass through Hubei, and finally reach Lushan!

Before leaving, he convened this meeting of civil and military officials to clarify the ideas of the future civil and military officials in Lingnan, and not to be like a hydra that could not distinguish the primary from the secondary.

Chen Han's first Lingnan governor was Chen Erbao, and the deputy governor was Xie Hu, who was transferred from Jiangxi. The latter was a shining star in Chen Han's political arena. In just a few years, he jumped from the prefect of Anqing to the Jiangxi Supervisory Censor, and then from the Jiangxi Supervisory Censor to the throne of the deputy governor. There was no such thing as a governor under Chen Han's rule. He replaced it with a governor. The Lingnan governor was the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and the deputy governor was the deputy governor.

The Jiangxi War, which started a month earlier than the Guangdong War, was progressing very smoothly. Relying on the advantage of the navy, Miao Fuwei joined forces with the 13th Brigade led by Gao Jinghui of the Second Garrison Division, plus two regiments sent by Gao Pingshan of Anhui, and the Yangtze River Navy of the Fu Han Army, and captured Nanchang City in one fell swoop. On the plains along the Poyang Lake, the Fu Han Army's offensive was in full swing and unstoppable. Moreover, Xie Hu personally came forward to instigate his former good friend, Zheng Wenzhi, who is still a lieutenant general. He recruited more than 10,000 surrendered soldiers. If it weren't for the many mountains and hills in southern Jiangxi, the war in Jiangxi would have ended long ago.

The Qing army has been playing the "cowhide" tactic with the Fu Han Army, frequently using the mountains to delay the Fu Han Army's offensive, and sending small groups of troops to sneak attack the Fu Han Army's transportation lines. If Guangzhou had not been taken by the Fu Han Army, Nanxiong and Shaozhou would have changed color quickly, and the Qing army would have been surrounded on all sides and completely trapped in a desperate situation, so that the army's morale was greatly dispersed, most of the soldiers fled, and Miao Fuwei, who had seized the opportunity, flattened it in one fell swoop, and there would still be entanglements in the territory of southern Jiangxi. Hai Cheng, who replaced Wu Shaoshi as the governor of Jiangxi, seemed to be too confident in the Qing army in Guangdong. Unlike Chen Jie, he did not lead his troops from Jiangxi to Guangdong early. In the end, although he lost a small part of his troops, he still led the remaining troops to fight the Fu Han Army in Zhaoqing again before retreating into Guangxi. Hai Cheng, the governor of Jiangxi, was directly wiped out in the complex and tortuous mountains of Ganzhou.

All of Chen Han's territories were connected at this point, and Lushan was already adjusting officials from all over the country and preparing to appoint provincial-level officials. In less than a year, the territory under Chen Han's command has undergone earth-shaking changes. It is no longer as simple as a small half of Henan and a Huguang. Most of the southern country became their ruling area, and the provincial system was imperative.

If Xie Hu had not been transferred to Lingnan, Chen Han's first governor of Jiangxi would have had his name engraved on his throne. Now he has been transferred to Lingnan as the deputy governor. Although he has moved up a level, one is the master of his own house, and the other is under a huge pressure, and he also has to deal with the war. It is hard to say whether it is a gain or a loss!

The governor of Jiangxi was taken by Zheng Wen, the former prefect of Jiujiang, and Xiao Lou was the substitute for the prefect of Jiujiang.

The latter performed very well as the magistrate of Pengze.

For the "Officials' Property Declaration Public" decree issued by Chen Han not long ago, he agreed meaninglessly and was the first to submit a summary of his and his close relatives' property to Zheng Wen. In the subsequent verification, Zheng Wen actually did not find any hidden things!

Zheng Wen did not believe that Xiao Lou was really open and honest and had no secrets. He and Xiao Lou have been superiors and subordinates for some time. Let's not talk about Xiao Lou's ability, but his impression of Xiao Lou as a person is very clear - slippery.

Of course, Xiao Lou has the ability to hide his property so that the prefect can't find it, that's also a skill.

He has good ability, high political level, and high enthusiasm. Xie Hu mentioned the local officials in Jiangxi when he came to Guangzhou, and specially recommended Xiao Lou to Chen Ming. Then he made this big leap!

As for the newly-minted Guangdong Governor, if nothing unexpected happens, it will fall on Yan Xishen of the Lianping Yan family.

Yan Xishen, whose name is Ruoyu, is also known as Jingshan and Junxi. He was born in Yuanshan Town, Lianping County in the seventh year of Yongzheng and is now 42 years old. In the 32nd year of Qianlong, Yan Xishen was transferred to Jiangxi as the governor. Because his mother died, he returned home to mourn. In the 34th year, he resumed his post and was awarded the title of Guangdong Tuanlian Minister. Yan Xishen was the first Guangdong Tuanlian Minister. Only because his father died soon after, the title was transferred to the governor Liangqing.

Chen Ming was deeply impressed by Yan Xishen. Because the Lianping Yan family in Guangdong, in the hundred years from the middle Qing Dynasty to the late Qing Dynasty, had four governors and eight flower feathers in three generations of one family.

This couplet means: this family, in three generations, has four governors and governors-general. Among the six ministers, the Lianping Yan family had people who served in five ministries, including the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Punishment and the Ministry of War. The Qing Dynasty divided the country into 18 provinces, five generals' jurisdictions, two ministers' jurisdictions and the Inner and Outer Mongolia regions where the league and flag system was implemented. And the Yan family had people who served as frontier officials in ten of the 18 provinces.

The last one is "eight flower feathers". In the Qing Dynasty, officials were rewarded with flower feathers (also known as awarding flower feathers). Flower feathers were inserted on the edge of official hats to show honor. Flower feathers were made from feathers from the peacock's tail. According to the number of eye-like colored markings on the tail of the feather, the flower feather is divided into three types: three-eye flower feather, double-eye flower feather and flower feather. The one without "eye" is called blue feather. Eight people in the Yan family have been awarded flower feathers by the court.

It is one of the so-called twenty-eight families of the Qing Dynasty.

Chen Ming also searched the Yan family on Baidu, and they were awesome. But he couldn't find any other 27 families besides the so-called '28 families'. He couldn't remember the specific names of the officials in the Yan family, and only remembered one Lianping Yan family. When the Fu Han army entered Guangdong secretly, he did a little research, and naturally got to know Yan Xishen thoroughly.

This man decisively gave up his position as the Minister of Tuanlian on the grounds of his father's death, and ran back to his hometown in Lianping to mourn. For more than a year, he closed the door and refused to see visitors, and never went out of the front door or the back door. Such behavior gave Chen Ming the feeling that this kind of person was definitely not a die-hard fan of the Qing Dynasty.

Sure enough, when the Qing army evacuated and fled westward, the Yan family did not move at all. When the Fu Han army reached Lianping Prefecture, Yan Xishen, as a representative of the local gentry, stopped the local gentry and wealthy families from welcoming the arrival of the Fu Han army. Although he did not show up in person, he helped the Fu Han army stabilize the situation in Lianping Prefecture and even the entire Nanxiong Prefecture.

Chen Ming talked about political and military affairs, but he was not very serious. Although he would take the entire Guard Brigade with him when he returned to Henan this time, the garrison division and several artillery battalions would also withdraw from Guangdong. When the garrison troops in Guangdong were established, the first army division in Fujian would also withdraw. But the two brigades of the first division alone could pose a major threat to the Qing army that fled to Guangxi after the defeat in Guangzhou. He didn't have to worry about military affairs.

In terms of politics, the responsibilities of economy and trade and foreign trade were divided by the Industry and Commerce Bureau; he didn't care about civil affairs, which were the tasks of Xie Hu and Yan Xishen; he was also very relaxed.

What Chen Ming was really concerned about was the next construction task, which was his real focus: "The foothills of Jinniuling in Shilu Town, Changhua, Qiongzhou Prefecture." Chen Ming knocked heavily on the Qiongzhou Prefecture on the map with a pointer.

"You may not have heard of this place."

"There is a copper and iron mine in Jinniuling. Since the pre-Ming Dynasty, this place has produced iron and copper. It's just that it has never been mined on a large scale."

"After I captured Guangzhou, I ordered hundreds of geomancers to explore Guangdong's coal and iron mines. Lianyang in northern Guangdong, Yangchun in western Guangdong, and Dabaoshan, Jianshan, Lishan, Dading, Tieshanzhang and other places have indeed found considerable reserves." Although they are mainly small and medium-sized iron mines, most of the iron mines in Guangdong are rich iron mines that are rare in China. No wonder the smelting and ironware manufacturing industry in Foshan Town is so developed. "The most gratifying is Jinniuling in Qiongzhou, where there is not only a copper mine, but also a super large iron mine with a very high iron content."

"In addition to this iron mine, there is also this place." Chen Ming's teaching stick tilted westward along the position of Hainan and hit the position of Annan. The Hongji Coal Mine in later generations was simply a treasure land that must be grasped in the development of the steel industry and industry in southern China.

In the later generations, in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh in Vietnam, there is a super-large coalfield that is rare in the world. It is not only easy to mine, but also low in cost, and the quality of coal is also particularly high.

"This place must also be taken. There is a large coalfield needed for coke for iron smelting. We can take it under the name of "doing business". Can you give Zheng Sen some money?" Anyway, Chen Ming asked the civil and military officials of Nanling present to take over Hongji Coal Mine at the end of next year, under the premise of not fighting. Anyway, Annan itself does not value that coal mine very much.

Zheng Sen's name is the same as Zheng Chenggong, but he is not Zheng Chenggong, but the current tenth Zheng Lord of North Vietnam. Although this Zheng regime is still covered with a layer of the Later Le Dynasty, it has military and political power in its hands, and can also be called the "Zheng Dynasty". The Zheng family participated in the war against Mo in the Later Le Dynasty two hundred years ago and made contributions to the Later Le Dynasty. Then, starting from Zheng Jian, the first Zheng Lord who held military power, the Zheng family had a status above the emperor of the Later Le Dynasty.

If you don't understand, just think of Zheng as Cao Cao after he became king, and Cao Wei who didn't directly overthrow the "Liu Han"; or just think of them as the Japanese shogun, then it will be easier to understand.

Now Annan is in a confrontation between the north and the south, Zheng in the north and Nguyen in the south. If Chen Ming remembers correctly, next year or the year after, another Nguyen will rise in Vietnam - the three Nguyens of Tây Sơn.

These three brothers are not sworn brothers like Liu, Guan, and Zhang, but real brothers who raised an army to rebel against the Nguyen of the Southern Dynasty.

Zheng Zhu used the Tây Sơn army as a gun, thinking it was very beautiful, but the reality was extremely bleak. This gun was too powerful, not only piercing through the Nguyen of the south, but also stabbed Zheng to death with one shot, and also stabbed the Qing Dynasty, ending the hundreds of years of division in Annan. If they hadn't committed suicide, Nguyen Phuc Anh, who had already fled to Siam, would have had no chance of turning the tables.

[In the Qing-Yue War, the Qing army won first and then lost, but it was still shamelessly praised by Qianlong as one of the "Ten Complete Military Achievements". It's shameful. ]

In his previous life, Chen Ming knew this history when he searched for Qianlong's "Ten Complete Military Achievements" on Baidu. Now that the Fu Han Army has swept the South, it has taken Hongji with "money". How dare Zheng Lord disobey? This is too easy.

"Guangdong is rich, money and food are not lacking, steel is revived, and guns and cannons are born one after another, which is the foundation of our army's attack on the southwest."

The Fu Han Army set up the tenth gun and cannon branch in the city of Guangzhou, which gathered more than 400 elderly people, plus more than 600 deaf-mute and disabled people who were recently collected. This bureau will become the source of military supplies for the Fu Han Army in the process of attacking the southwest.

At the farewell banquet, Chen Ming raised his glass and spoke to the civil and military officials present. Then he added: "I hope you will cooperate sincerely, remember the king's order, work hard, sweep the southwest, and relieve our army's worries. Make achievements and live up to your prime years!"

"Your Highness's orders will be obeyed." That naturally received a response of bowing heads and submission.

After the banquet, Chen Ming invited Chen Erbao, Chen Yongsheng and other generals to come forward: "This governor regards you as brothers. Since I was appointed to the southern expedition, I dare not have any personal opinions. You are also determined and have never violated military regulations or provoked public resentment. This time I return to the capital, I will also report to my father. There will be rewards.

But don't relax your heartstrings. Although this governor has left Guangdong, his eyes will always be on this place.

Be careful and don't let down the good times." The Fu Han Army in Guangdong fought against the Qing Army in Guangxi. This is a great opportunity to gain military merits and beat the dog when it is down.

After going to Henan, Chen Ming will not come back to Lingnan in a short time. As for the strategy of attacking Guangxi and the offensive against the southwest next year, it all depends on Chen Erbao and Chen Yongsheng.

Of course, he would not expect that the Guangdong Fu Han Army alone could completely overturn the Southwest. After Ben Jinzhong and other Qing troops retreated to Guizhou and Guangxi, the troops of Hunan were rushing to suppress the bandits in Xiangxi. Liu Fei cooperated well with the Hunan Army and had been promoted to Dusi for merit in the past year. After Ben Jinzhong retreated to Guizhou, he was given the title of Lieutenant General and became the leader of Xiangxi. There were more than a dozen bandits of all sizes gathered around him, with six or seven thousand soldiers. With such a big bandit as an internal response, as long as the Hunan Army gathered its forces and solved the bandits in Xiangxi in one fell swoop, the army could launch an offensive against the southwest.

Although time would have to wait until the turn of spring and summer next year.

There is no smooth river waterway from Hunan to the southwest, and even the main road is being frantically destroyed by the Qing army bandits. All these repairs will take time. Then there is the storage of military supplies, the establishment of supply lines + military stations and grain platforms. It is precious to be able to complete the preparations by the turn of spring and summer next year.

Chen Ming also returned to Lushan with his cousin Chen Liang, who was a great contributor to Chen Han. The Southern Dark Camp led by him really made great contributions when the Fu Han Army captured Jiangnan, Fujian and Guangdong this time.

There are also Zheng Lianfu and Zheng Lianchang brothers of the Zheng family, Zhang Qiu of the Southeast Navy, and Pan Zhencheng and others. Qin Dacheng was released back to Jiangnan by Chen Ming. He will replace Shen Guozhen and sit on the throne of Jiangnan Supervisory Censor, while Shen Guozhen will become the Governor of Jiangsu.

The Governor of Zhejiang is Peng Zhongrui. This man was transferred to Chen Hui as an attendant at the end of last year. His original "integrity" seemed to be completely worn away by the hardships of the cadre school and the nagging of his family. He was very obedient during his time as an attendant. Now that he has been released to Zhejiang as the top leader, Chen Ming has nothing to say. In addition to Peng Zhongrui's inability to think straight, Chen Ming still trusts his personal integrity and internal affairs ability.

Of course, all of the above are still pending. Chen Ming's father will definitely wait until he returns to Lushan before issuing these appointments.

In addition to Zhang Zheng and others, Robert, Perrier and Rodoni, the former civil governor of Macau, are also the people with the highest position and reputation among the native Portuguese who naturalized in China this time. Chen Ming also brought him back to Lushan.

There were also more than a hundred Portuguese people who entered Lushan with them, both men and women, old and young. They were 22 families, and most of the men and women in them could speak Cantonese Mandarin - there were very few native Portuguese who could only speak Cantonese but not Mandarin, because almost everyone of the Chinese officials and businessmen who dealt with them could speak Mandarin. Although Cantonese Mandarin also sounds a little awkward. Chen Ming couldn't use the women of these 22 families, but the men could at least be used to prepare for the Foreign Languages ​​College in Lushan, right?

They not only speak Portuguese, but also Spanish, English, and French. Many people can speak them. Some of them have been sailors or businessmen, and they are "well-informed" and will become the guides who lead the Chen Han high-level to look at the world for the first time.

Along with these people, there are also many books, mainly about natural sciences and geography. Chen Ming is not interested in theology at all. There are also several globes, global maps, sailboat models, etc.

Of course, there are also people from the Macau Jesuit Society.

When the Fu Han Army attacked Hangzhou, Fuzhou and other places in the south, they more or less captured several missionaries. Chen Ming did not embarrass them, but he also drove them to Macau very cleanly.

Today, the foreign trade policy of the Fu Han Army is much more open than that of the Tatar Dynasty. Although the taxation is also much heavier, the Jesuits have not relaxed at all in terms of missionary work, which is the most concerned issue of the Jesuits. They are very worried that Chen Ming, who has a huge influence, will be a "banner"!

In order to seek Chen Ming's favor, these people even want to announce that their fellow believers in Beijing will be expelled from the Jesuits. It is also a determination and courage.

But the fact is that all these efforts of the Jesuits are in vain. Chen Ming is very disgusted with monotheism, although he knows that Taoism is a scumbag and the teachings of Chinese Buddhism are not suitable for this era. And he doesn't have the ability to rebuild a religion.

Even if you want to create a cult, you must have a set of doctrines that make sense, as well as various religious rules. Chen Ming didn't believe in anything in his previous life. Although he "respects ghosts and gods but keeps them at a distance" after traveling through time, he still remains skeptical about ghosts and gods. God knows whether his travel through time is a manifestation of gods and Buddhas, or a natural phenomenon. Or maybe he worships the god of travel the most!

However, no matter how dissatisfied he is with the two local sects, Chen Ming doesn't think monotheism is fun. That thing spreads Western universal values ​​and civilization. If monotheism flourishes in China, China's traditional values ​​and traditional culture will be fundamentally impacted. Moreover, these missionaries have inextricable ties with Western powers.

Even if he had to drag 22 households and hundreds of Macanese to Lushan, Chen Ming did not intend to let the Monotheism build a church in Lushan.

Damn it, Chen Ming had had enough of Valentine's Day and Christmas in his previous life, especially the latter, which was purely a date-making festival. It was a waste of money, brains, and energy. But Chen Ming still thought it would be better to give the right to say "no" to Christianity to his father!

On October 28, Chen Ming set up a guard of honor and led the army to set off from Guangzhou by boat, advancing along the waterway to Shaoguan. At the same time, the Southeast Navy carried part of the 1st Garrison Division and the first two artillery battalions back to Fujian, and then went from Fujian to Shanghai.

"Another year." Chen Ming, sitting on the boat, looked at Guangzhou gradually going away.