Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 171 Gentleman
In front of the Huizhou government office, Liu Qijiao took off his helmet, looked at Chen Bangyan standing by the door, and said:

"Governor Chen, the Tartar generals in the city have all been wiped out, and soldiers have been sent to guard the various government warehouses. Please send someone to take over as soon as possible."

"I will have to set out again later to recover the counties of Huizhou. I can only leave 50 men for Governor Chen at most."

"With the imperial army at our side, who dares to rebel now? Fifty men are enough," Chen Bangyan thought for a moment and said with a bow.

"In this case, I will not stay here for long. The imperial court's military orders are urgent. I will lead my men out of the city to recapture the counties later."

"In all the places that are recovered, the flag of the Great Ming Dynasty will be raised on the city walls. All the officials under Governor Chen will enter as soon as they see the flag of the Great Ming Dynasty on the city walls."

"Huizhou is the capital city, so I will leave some people to help defend it. But for the other counties, I will not leave the imperial cavalry behind after I conquer them. Instead, I will move camp and leave directly. Governor Chen, please send county magistrates to take over the counties as soon as possible to avoid unrest in the counties."

"I will take care of this matter and will not delay the general's trip."

Chen Bangyan spoke in a deep voice, and Liu Qijiao saw that Chen Bangyan agreed, so he said no more, bowed to Chen Bangyan, put on his helmet again, mounted his horse and left.
An hour later, Liu Qijiao led more than 2,000 imperial cavalry soldiers and set out again to sweep the rest of Huizhou's counties.
The blue-robed officials who entered the city also took over the city and began to count the various government coffers.
Chen Bangyan was sitting in the back hall of the government office. Chen Shangchuan and Qu Dajun, wearing blue official robes, pushed the door and walked into the room.
Chen Shangchuan and the other man walked into the room, bowed to Chen Bangyan, who was at the head of the group, and then Chen Shangchuan began to speak.

"Governor, a large amount of silver was found in various treasuries in the city. According to the Qing invaders who were guarding the treasuries, the total amount of silver in the treasuries in the city is more than 800,000, all of which was looted by Tong Yangjia's troops in Chaozhou and Huizhou."

"After Tong Yangjia arrived in Huizhou, he rushed to Guangzhou to attack the city, so he left all the looted along the way in the city. In addition, dozens of red cannons and general cannons weighing four or five hundred kilograms were found in the city, all of which were left by the Qing invaders."

"Order the officials of the Sizheng Hall to count the treasury and seal it up directly, then immediately send someone to Guangzhou and order the court to send someone to take over and deal with it."

"Remind the members of the Ideological and Political Hall that these are all military funds seized by the court. Not a cent of them can be touched. They must all be sealed and wait for the court to take over. They have a bright future ahead of them. Don't let this little bit of gold and silver blind you."

Chen Bangyan couldn't help but mention this, and Qu Dajun also said

"Don't worry, Governor. Brother Shengcai has divided the members of the Ideological and Political Hall into two groups. One group is responsible for counting, and the other group is responsible for making the register. Under the watchful eyes of the public, no one dares to have such a foolish idea."

"The members of the Ideological and Political Hall have just been granted official positions by His Highness. Now everyone is excited and only wants to serve His Highness. No one will commit corruption and bring shame to the members of the Ideological and Political Hall."

Upon hearing this, Chen Bangyan could not help but nod his head and looked at Chen Shangchuan beside him with admiration in his eyes.
Chen Shangchuan had already shown his talent when he was defending the city. Now it seems that he is indeed good at handling affairs. In his opinion, after a few more years of experience, Chen Shangchuan will be of great use.
Thinking of this, Chen Bangyan spoke again.

"You two will lead the members of the Ideological and Political Hall to assist the governor in taking over Huizhou as soon as possible, sort out the money, grain and tax and labor service records in the city, and then set off as soon as possible to take over the counties of Huizhou together with the members of the Ideological and Political Hall."

Chen Shangchuan and Qu Dajun below also had a hint of joy on their faces when they heard this, and they all responded respectfully.
After the court decided to recover Guangdong Province that day, Zhu Lang immediately decided to dismiss all officials in Chaozhou and Huizhou, and replace them with a group of inspectors from the Sizheng Hall to take over the counties of Chaozhou and Huizhou.

Although dismissing all officials from the two governments sounds terrible, in fact, not many people in the court oppose it.
This time, the Chaozhou and Huizhou governments surrendered without firing a single shot, which almost put His Highness the Regent and all the central government officials in danger. Under such circumstances, who would dare to plead for the people of the Chaozhou and Huizhou governments? Not to mention that His Highness the Regent is only deposing and detaining the officials, even if His Highness is ready to execute all the officials of the two governments, no one in the court will say anything.

If you lose your territory and betray your country, who else can I kill if not you?

What really caused constant controversy in the court was the latter one. After dismissing all the officials of the two governments, His Majesty the Regent actually planned to appoint Chen Bangyan as the governor of Guangdong East, and at the same time grant the more than one hundred inspectors who were born as students of the common people the status of students of the Imperial Academy.
Then, all of these more than 100 inspectors were promoted to county magistrates and county magistrates, and they were actually planning to let these inspectors from the Sizheng Hall take over the two counties of Chaozhou and Huizhou.
Chen Bangyan was appointed as the governor of Guangdong East. There was no objection in the court. Chen Bangyan was a juren. He had participated in the enthronement and was promoted to the prefect of Guangzhou.
This time, he worked together with His Royal Highness the Regent to defend the city and brought the court a great victory in Guangzhou. With this qualification, although he was promoted from a 16th-rank official to a 3rd-rank official in just a few months, the court could not say anything. Who can blame him for catching up with the good times?
However, the sudden appointment of the inspectors of the Sizheng Hall caused great dissatisfaction among the ministers in the court.

Although His Highness granted these people the status of Imperial College students and covered it up, after all, these people were either students or ordinary people before January. How could he grant them official positions so easily?

The county magistrate and the county magistrate are already proper civil servants. If Your Highness wants to send new people to govern the two prefectures, then you should use scholars who have passed the imperial examinations. How can you use those miscellaneous people?

These scholars have studied hard for ten years and only then learned the etiquette, righteousness, integrity, and the justice of the court. Those inspectors were just a group of common people before. How could they know how to educate the people and govern a place!
Although the ministers in the court were extremely dissatisfied, after the great victory of His Royal Highness the Regent in Guangzhou, as the details of the defense of the city were publicized, his prestige in the court was getting higher and higher.

Whether he fought outside Guangzhou, defended the city against all odds, or climbed the city walls to face the enemy at a critical moment, or persuaded the enemy to flee in front of the two armies, the rumors about His Majesty the Regent were constantly exaggerated as the Guangzhou defenders continued to spread the news after the war.
His Highness the Regent is now in Guangzhou, and has become a figure like those great rulers in history books. His personal prestige in the court has reached an unprecedented level.
At this time, almost no one in the court could stop His Royal Highness the Regent's decision. Under His Royal Highness the Regent's strong push, the court really passed this proposal, allowing this group of inspectors to gain official status.

And for some unknown reason, several ministers in the court also tacitly agreed to this matter.

There were a lot of vacancies in Chaozhou and Huizhou, so naturally some people in the court had their eyes on it. However, after some observation, some people suddenly discovered that, except for Su Guansheng, none of the other ministers in the court had taken up posts in Chaozhou and Huizhou.
After observing this strange situation, all kinds of gossip began to spread in Guangzhou City, but the senior officials and officials of the third and fourth ranks kept silent about the matter, and the affairs of Chaozhou and Huizhou suddenly became a taboo in the court.

There was a turmoil in Guangzhou, but this did not hinder the progress of the inspectors of the Ideological and Political Hall.

On the 22nd, His Majesty the Regent received all 178 inspectors in the Sizheng Hall and personally granted them official titles. Then, the inspectors who were granted official titles happily followed Chen Bangyan to Huizhou.
After the imperial army recaptured the counties, these inspectors would directly serve as county magistrates and other officials in the two prefectures to govern the two prefectures on behalf of the imperial court.
Chen Shangchuan and Qu Dajun were the leaders of the patrol inspectors. They were already seventh-rank officials. Once the counties of Huizhou were recovered, they would set off to their designated jurisdictions to serve as county magistrates.
Qu Dajun looked at Chen Bangyan above him, his face hesitated for a moment, took off his official hat, and suddenly spoke

"Teacher, the gentry in Huizhou City have gathered and sent a letter to the government office, saying that the city has prepared wine and food to reward the imperial army, and they also want to see you."

Before he entered the Longwu period, Chen Bangyan opened a school in Guangdong Province to teach and make a living. Chen Bangyan himself was also well-known in Guangdong Province.

Before Chen Bangyan entered the government, Qu Dajun had already studied in Chen Bangyan's academy. It can be said that Chen Bangyan was Qu Dajun's real teacher.
"not see!"

"Just say that the court has just recovered the lost territory from the Qing invaders, and there are too many things going on in the government to see them, so let them go home and stay at home, and don't cause trouble." "When I want to see them, I will summon them."

Chen Bangyan looked at Qu Dajun below, his face also became serious, and said to the two people below
"You two have performed outstandingly in defending the city and have won the favor of His Highness. This is an opportunity that others would not be able to obtain even if they ask for it. However, the more so, the more cautious you must be."

"When you two arrive at the county, no matter whether you have any relationship with the local people or not, you must not have too much involvement with the local gentry. Do you understand?"

"I understand."

The two men heard Chen Bangyan's stern tone and their faces became serious. They immediately bowed and said,
Seeing the cold expression on Chen Bangyan's face, Qu Dajun was a little flustered. After a moment of silence, he gritted his teeth and said:
"Governor, one of the Huizhou gentry has some dealings with my Qu family, so the Huizhou gentry came to me to pass on the message, but that Huizhou gentry and my Qu family are just casual acquaintances."

"The reason why I am delivering this message today is not to plead for the gentry, but because I am worried that if Your Highness really wants to do this in the future, it may cause a stir in the two governments."

Chen Bangyan glanced at Qu Dajun below and was about to speak when Chen Shangchuan beside him spoke.

"Wengshan's words are wrong"

"Weng Shan is afraid of the two governments being in turmoil, but isn't he afraid of the hundreds of thousands of people in Guangzhou being in turmoil?"

Qu Dajun's expression changed slightly, and he was about to speak, but at this time Chen Shangchuan had already taken off his official hat, suddenly stood up from the chair, his face was cold

"While hundreds of thousands of Guangzhou citizens were fighting desperately with His Highness and Teacher to defend the city, what were the gentry of these two prefectures doing?"

"Your Highness, not executing them is already a sign of leniency. How dare they get so angry?"

Chen Shangchuan had a cold expression on his face. Unlike Qu Dajun, Chen Shangchuan was Chen Bangyan's new student.
When Qu Dajun heard this, his face froze, and then he suddenly fell silent.
The atmosphere in the field suddenly stagnated at this moment. Chen Bangyan looked at the two students below, his face suddenly became serious. He ignored the two people arguing below and suddenly spoke in a deep voice.

"Is anyone in the Ideological and Political Hall discussing this matter now?"

The two of them were shocked when they saw the serious look on Chen Bangyan's face. They immediately understood what Chen Bangyan was thinking. They looked at each other and Qu Dajun said:

"Your Highness only ordered the members of the Ideological and Political Hall to use the excuse that the Qing invaders were causing chaos in the area, and ordered us to reorganize the fields in each county and govern the area well after we take office. He did not say anything else. What we just discussed was just the speculation of Shengcai and I."

"Then, how many people in the Ideological and Political Hall now have the same speculation as you?"
Chen Bangyan refused to let it go and continued to ask, his face still looking extremely serious.
Chen Shangchuan saw Chen Bangyan's expression and became serious. He said respectfully
"Teacher, rest assured. The court has not made it clear, and most officials in the Ideological and Political Hall have not speculated on this. They just think that the court wants the local areas to resume farming."

"Those who have guessed are also quick-witted. Even if they have guessed, they dare not speak out. Moreover, Your Highness has not issued any clear order. Even if they speak out, it is nothing but nonsense."

Chen Bangyan's expression relaxed when he heard this. He looked at the two people below, his expression darkened again, and he said

"You two have outstanding personalities and talents, but you must remember not to rely on your intelligence and show off in front of others."

"The major plans of the court are managed by His Highness and a group of elders. If His Highness does not speak, you must not speak nonsense. Do you understand?"

Seeing Chen Bangyan's stern expression, Chen Shangchuan and the others immediately bowed their hands in response.
Seeing the two regain their vigilance, Chen Shangchuan glanced at the two people below and spoke softly again
"Your Highness has deduced that there will be war in Fujian Province, so he does not want to cause unrest in the two governments at this time. When you arrive at the county, just check the land situation in the county and the situation of the gentry who shaved their heads and surrendered to the Qing Dynasty."

"This is an opportunity, you must seize it, you understand."

“Students understand”

Chen Shangchuan and the other man listened to Chen Bangyan's suggestion, looked at each other, and immediately made up their minds, and then they both bowed their hands in response.
"Lead the members of the Ideological and Political Hall to take over the various places in the city as soon as possible, and then you should not delay and go to take up your posts as soon as possible. Go!"

Chen Bangyan picked up the teacup, and Chen Shangchuan and the other man also put on their official hats, bowed to Chen Bangyan, and then left.

Chen Bangyan and others were busy taking over Huizhou, while Liu Qijiao marched all the way. Everywhere he passed, the counties opened their gates and asked for surrender. Within just a few days, the court had recovered the entire territory of Huizhou.

Huizhou Prefecture made good progress, and Chaozhou Prefecture was also unstoppable. Li Mingzhong led the Wuxiang Army to rush to the Huizhou border.
Li Shilian, who was originally stationed in Changle on the Chaozhou-Huizhou border, abandoned the city overnight and fled in panic after discovering that Li Mingzhong's army was approaching, and fled directly into Chaozhou City.
Li Mingzhong divided 2,000 soldiers and went to various directions to persuade the counties of Chaozhou to surrender. As soon as the Wuxiang Army arrived, the counties of Chaozhou surrendered one after another. In just a few days, except for Chaozhou occupied by Li Shilian's troops and Gu Chaojian, the entire Chaozhou Prefecture was recovered.

After receiving the news that Chaozhou had been recovered, Li Mingzhong sent people to Guangzhou to report the victory, and at the same time led 15,000 troops to the city of Chaozhou and surrounded it.

Just when Li Mingzhong was about to attack Chaozhou and completely recapture the two prefectures, a messenger came from Fujian Province and hurried into Guangzhou.

(End of this chapter)