The Duzhang barbarians are indeed the enemy of the Peking Army. Speaking of it, the Duzhang barbarians are not a nation, but a tribal alliance. When the world was settled in the early Ming Dynasty, when the barbarians from the southwest came and returned, Zhu Yuanzhang used the original official to confer them, so the southwest There were many chieftains in the area, and the most ferocious and aggressive among them was Duzhangman.
During the Ming Dynasty, although Duzhangman ostensibly professed vassalage to the Ming Dynasty, they secretly invaded Pangyi. The Lingxiao City they occupied was originally a castle built on the mountain in the Southern Song Dynasty to fight against the Mongolian army. It was surrounded by cliffs and was extremely dangerous. Incomparably, the Duzhang barbarians hoarded food here, occupied the mountains and became kings, which served as the base for their harassment, killing and plundering.
In addition, Xuzhou is located at the throat of the three provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan. The strategic position is extremely dangerous, and Duzhangman is entrenched in it. Every commotion shakes the three provinces, seriously endangering the stability of the southwestern frontier of the Ming Dynasty. Not long ago, Duzhangman leader Grand Ancestor Ke took advantage of the opportunity of the friendship between Ming and Hua and led nearly ten thousand people into Sichuan to plunder and plunder, but was later repulsed by the Peking Army.
It is not without reason that the Duzhang barbarians are so rampant. They were all accustomed to it in the Ming Dynasty. As early as the sixth year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang tried to use the Duzhang barbarians as the first pilot target for reform. Under such circumstances, officials were set up and troops were stationed in Gong, Jun and other places where the Duzhang barbarians gathered.
Although the policy of reforming the natives and returning them to the locals was a good one, the Ming Dynasty overly favored the Duzhang barbarians who accounted for the majority of the population. Most of the officials sent to Xuzhou were mediocre people who were overstaffed, which further encouraged the arrogance of the Duzhang barbarians. Just over twenty years later, they met in war. It can be seen that spoiling children will only lead to white-eyed wolves.
Of course, Duzhangman also has the ability to be arrogant. Since the Song and Yuan Dynasties, they have occupied Lingxiao City and Jiusi City. Break Lingxiao.
But the terrible thing is that both Jiusi City and Lingxiao City are surrounded by steep walls, which are too steep to climb. There is only one narrow path for entry and exit in a radius of more than 30 miles. It is very difficult for a large army to enter, but Du Zhangman is good at rock climbing. Being able to walk on the cliffs as if they were on flat ground, and shuttle back and forth in the grass and thorns, these barbarians have caused the Peiping Army to suffer many losses. It is really difficult to deal with them.
The Peiping Army was blocked from entering southern Sichuan. Wan Lei repeatedly urged the General Staff to come up with a feasible plan as soon as possible. Finally, the General Staff gave two tactical plans: one was to encircle without attacking, and to set fire to the mountains and trap the barbarians to death; the other was to find a way Launch an air strike and then take advantage of the chaos to attack.
The first plan took too long. You must know that the Duzhang Barbarians have just plundered Sichuan. There is a large amount of food stored in the lair. I am afraid there will be no problem if they are trapped for a year and a half. Moreover, these guys are as agile as apes. , it is really difficult to surround them.
The second option is feasible. Although the Peking Army does not yet have such advanced gadgets as airplanes, hot air balloons can still fly into the sky. As long as they load some explosives and float them over Lingxiao City for a while, they may be able to scare all the barbarians out of fear. To achieve a surprising and winning effect.
The strategy was decided, and Wan Lei immediately ordered Chongdaotang to dispatch scientific researchers to conduct research on hot air balloons. The Peking Army Logistics Support Department fully cooperated to build dozens of hot air balloons in the shortest possible time and equip them to the frontline troops.
The principle of a hot air balloon is not complicated. It is just an enlarged version of the Kongming Lantern, plus a device to control the lifting, and everything is ok. Of course, the most important thing is to use strong and durable materials. After all, it is to carry people.
After giving instructions about the hot air ballooning, Wan Lei left Jinling and began to tour the south of the Yangtze River. Naturally, the first stop was Songjiang Mansion, which is famous for its clothes in the world.
Songjiang Prefecture is located to the east of Suzhou Prefecture, adjacent to Hangzhou Prefecture in the south, the Yangtze River in the north, and the sea in the east. Wusong River, Huangpu River, etc. run through its territory. It enjoys the convenience of river and sea transportation and has a very prosperous economy. Of course, this is also the capital of Dahua. This was before the rise of the Republic of China. With the decline of the handmade textile industry, the economy of Songjiang Prefecture was in a slump.
In addition to dealing with economic issues, Wan Lei's east tour also has to deal with water conservancy issues. In recent years, due to the severe siltation of the Wusong River and the blockage of Huangpukou, large and small floods have occurred many times. Vigorous rectification is needed to restore the lives of the people of Songjiang Prefecture. A stable living and production environment.
On the fourth day of March, Wan Lei and his party arrived in Huating County, Songjiang Prefecture. Officials from all levels of Zhejiang Province led the local gentry to greet them early. Wan Lei also met these gentry briefly, and took the local officials out of the city for inspection. The Wusong River is flooded. After all, it is already March and the rainy season is not far away. We must seize the time to control the river.
Due to years of military disasters, both sides of the Wusong River and Huangpu River were in depression. Wan Lei walked through several ferries as if to watch the flowers, and came to a high ground by the river. Looking at the roaring river, he said to the accompanying officials: "For Do you have any opinions on flood control?"
"My subordinates have heard that your Majesty wants to control the water, and have already visited many places. This is a waterway map. Please take a look at it." An official in his forties handed over several drawings. He is the deputy governor of Zhejiang Province in charge of farmland water conservancy, named Xia Yuan. Ji, was also an official of the original Ming Dynasty.
During the Jianwen Dynasty, Xia Yuanji served as a servant in the Ministry of Household Affairs. After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, he switched to the Republic of China, so he was sent to Zhejiang Province. Although he was only a deputy governor, he still had great power. Moreover, Zhejiang is the richest region in the south of the Yangtze River, so being able to serve as a parent official here is also a special kind of trust.
Wan Lei took the drawing and glanced at it. He found that the drawing was quite concise and to the point. He couldn't help but nodded with satisfaction and asked: "What plan do you think should be used?"
"My subordinates believe that the key to controlling the Wusong River is to control siltation. First, dredge the tributaries on the north and south banks of the Wusong River to dredge the tributaries on the north and south banks of the Wusong River. Bai Mao will flow directly into the Yangtze River and divert it to create a source of less silt. Second, Divert the Huangpu River into the Wusong River to cause erosion and siltation!"
"How much manpower and financial resources are estimated to be spent using this method?" Wan Lei asked again.
"Now the government cannot requisition the people, so it can only pay for workers, which may cost 200,000 silver dollars!"
"Two hundred thousand silver dollars is not much. As long as the Wusong River can be managed well, you will immediately draft a project proposal and submit it to the Executive Yuan for approval. My request is to control the Wusong River before June this year. In addition, I plan to build a new project in the Wusong River. When choosing a place to build the largest textile factory in the country, you should complete the site selection work as soon as possible!"
"My subordinates know, and I promise to get it done as soon as possible. Your Majesty, don't worry!"
"Now the south of the Yangtze River has just been pacified, and everything is in ruins. There are many problems. You must work hard to help people resume their lives and production as soon as possible. Zhejiang is uniquely endowed with rivers and seas. It will definitely be a major fiscal and taxation province in China in the future. It must be managed well. ." Wan Lei said.