Chapter 700: Those Damned Englishmen!

"Oboi, is burning, killing, and looting all you can do, the foremost warrior of the Manchus?"

Dorgon frowned at Oboi's words — not because he thought Oboi lacked ability, but because he remembered the Grand Lama's instructions: burning, killing, and looting shortens one's lifespan! He, Dorgon, did not have much life to begin with, and he had done his share of burning, killing, and looting, so after all that cutting short there was not much left...... so he had to conserve it, or else he would end up as the "late Imperial Ama."

And last time in Qufu he had robbed a "great deity" that should not have been robbed — that one was a contemporary of Shakyamuni himself. Confucius was a dozen or so years younger than the Buddha, and they attained the Way at about the same time, so they knew each other up above — two thousand years of friendship...... so the Grand Lama was in a very awkward position!

Once the Grand Lama had instructed him, the Imperial Ama knew fear too, and so over the past year or two the armies of the Great Qing had basically stopped burning, killing, and looting.

Of course, even if the Imperial Ama had not feared an early death, his Nine Banner warriors had nowhere left to loot — to loot they needed victories, and if they lost, they were the ones looted. And victories were simply unaffordable now! Every battle cost several thousand dead — how many people did the Manchus even have? How many victories could they sustain?

"Imperial Ama, this slave can do plenty of things!" Oboi thought hard. "Besides killing and arson, this slave can also...... can also, can also......"

Can what? Can embezzle, can take bribes, can smuggle, can present firearms to His Majesty...... none of that could be said aloud!

"Can handle boats!" Oboi finally remembered a skill. "This slave can also handle boats! Back when this slave attacked Pi Island under Prince Ying, this slave specially learned boat-handling from others. This slave can handle boats at sea — whether by sail or by oar, this slave can do it!"

"Heh," Dorgon laughed. "It seems We have found the right man after all......" He said to the white-armored guards on either side, "Go summon the Bu Janggin!"

The Bu Janggin was Bruce, who held the post of Meiren-i Janggin of the Bordered Green Banner here in the Great Qing. Though he had already left office, he had not yet set out south, and was still advising Dorgon.

Just before Oboi had hurried to Beijing, Bruce had drawn up for the Great Qing a strategy that absolutely could defend the Heilong River, the Amur River, and the Jingqili River — his strategy had three key points. The first was to establish a Great Qing version of a Cossack army.

Fighting in the forests and snowy plains of Outer Manchuria, proper Maurice-style formations and Gustavus-style formations simply could not work. It had to be the rough-and-ready Cossack way — able to do anything, endure any hardship, and survive anywhere you dropped them!

Bruce had discovered that some of the old Eight Banners men were already quite versatile — mounted archery, dismounted close combat, hunting and fishing, killing and arson, grave-robbing — they could do it all!

If they could be properly trained and their equipment upgraded, they would be the Great Qing Cossacks!

The second point was to establish a Great Qing navy!

That's right — a navy!

But not a great fleet to contend with the Ming navy in the Northern Ocean or the Southern Ocean — rather a small riverine force to contend with the Russian navy on the Amur River, the Heilong River, the Jingqili River, the North Sea, and the Whale Sea.

The reason such a navy had to be established was that Outer Manchuria's infrastructure was extremely poor — apart from the waterways, the only option was plunging into the old forests.

And the old forests of the Northeast could "eat people" — even Cossacks, if they went in careless, could end up dead inside.

Therefore Cossack expansion in Outer Manchuria necessarily relied on the waterways! And the Great Qing's counterattacks and defensive operations could not do without the waterways either.

Under such circumstances, whoever could possess a navy operating in the Amur, Heilong, and Jingqili river basins and along the coasts of the North Sea and the Whale Sea would be invincible.

The third point was to relocate the Ningguta military garrison and establish new garrisons — the only major stronghold in the northern part of the Great Qing's old homeland beyond the passes was Ningguta, but Ningguta's location was poor: it was not near the sea, not near the Heilong River, and not near the border — a border stronghold that leaned on nothing at all!

So when Russia invaded, Ningguta's usefulness as a military stronghold was limited.

Bruce's recommendation was to move Ningguta to the banks of the Heilong River, or at the very least to the banks of the Songhua River. Then, using the new Ningguta as a base, establish branch forts at three locations: the confluence of the Heilong and Jingqili rivers, the confluence of the Heilong and Ussuri rivers, and the mouth of the Heilong River.

The new Ningguta city and the three branch forts must all be earthen bastion forts, must be equipped with artillery capable of blockading the river channels, and must have harbors protected by the bastions.

With four bastion forts plus a fleet capable of operating on the Heilong, Songhua, Ussuri, and Jingqili rivers, Russia would find it very difficult to lay hands on the lands along the four rivers.

In addition, Bruce also recommended finding a suitable location along the Whale Sea coast to establish a new military garrison. This new garrison should have an excellent harbor, preferably an ice-free port, with land transport as convenient as possible, and ideally an inland river connecting to the Ussuri — if such a fine place truly existed, the Great Qing could possess a seaport entirely beyond the reach of the Ming navy.

"How large should the four forts be built? How many troops should be garrisoned?"

Inside the Chonghua Palace, a not-very-accurate map of the Heilong River basin had been spread out on the table before Dorgon. Oboi, Fan Wencheng, and Bruce all gathered around the table with Dorgon, talking over the map.

The one asking now was Oboi — if nothing went wrong, he would be the next Ningguta Amban Janggin or Heilong Amban Janggin, so he needed to ask more questions.

"They need not be too large," Bruce said. "The main fort can garrison several thousand men, the branch forts several hundred...... no need for brick or stone; earth and timber construction will do."

"And the ships?" Oboi asked again. "How large should they be built? What hull type? Where should construction begin?"

Bruce said: "The Heilong, Ussuri, Jingqili, and Songhua are all inland rivers; wind conditions are unclear, and water depths are unclear as well, so it is best to use flat-bottomed or round-bottomed oar-and-sail vessels. The Southern Ming's centipede boats will do...... the Southern Ming has civilian centipede boats in all sorts of models, some large enough to mount cannon. One can be ordered as a sample."

Mounting cannon on civilian ships seemed like something out of the Arabian Nights to later generations, but in the Age of Discovery it was perfectly normal.

There was no law on the high seas, and merchant and pirate were often two sides of the same coin. So merchant ships without cannon generally needed warship escorts to sail far. Otherwise, they could just wait to be robbed.

Therefore the Southern Ming's privately owned shipyards could legally sell armed ships! And as long as the shipowner was willing to pay a high price, the yard would even modify the hull design and add cannon according to the owner's requirements...... and neither the shipyard nor the Ming authorities would ever ask where these armed ships were headed!

One could say that in the Age of Discovery, the governments of every maritime power were astonishingly lax — they did not even ban firearms, let alone cannon!

"If we can buy a sample ship......" Fan Wencheng said thoughtfully, "then we can sail it to a Joseon port and order Joseon shipwrights to dismantle it, take measurements, and draw up plans. Then have them build a yard and construct ships at a place along the Songhua River rich in timber."

Dorgon nodded and said: "Then it is settled! Oboi, the office of the Ningguta Amban Janggin is yours...... first arrange the relocation of the garrison. Move it to the banks of the Songhua River, and choose a place with lush water and grass, and old forest nearby for cutting timber."

"This slave obeys the decree." Oboi hastily accepted the order.

Dorgon continued: "Also train a force of firearm-armed Bayara soldiers...... select warriors from every banner. They must not only be skilled in bow and horse and adept at close combat, but must also be taught the use of firearms. When they meet the enemy, they can fire first, then shoot arrows, and finally close for combat."

"This slave obeys the decree." Oboi accepted the order again. From now on, he would take the Cossacks as his teachers — he would be the Great Qing's foremost Cossack!

"Fan Wencheng!" Dorgon now called upon Fan Wencheng.

"This slave is here."

Dorgon said: "The matter of buying ships and building ships is entrusted to you...... establish an additional Artisan Jalan for Beyond-the-Passes under the Bordered Green Banner. You may recruit Joseon shipwrights and gunsmiths and raise them into the banner. This Jalan will not be allotted land, will not perform military service, and will be supplied by the Bordered Green Banner. Let them devote themselves single-mindedly to building ships and firearms, and station them at the new Ningguta that Oboi selects."