There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 171 Who in the world wouldn't follow a thief?

Yuan'an County.

Mingliang personally led an army of 20,000 and was mobilizing outside the county town to besiege it.

Under pressure, he and E Hui could not stand idly by and watch Wuchang be attacked by rebels, so they had to send troops south to rescue it.

To ensure absolute success and to catch the enemy off guard, E Hui and Ming Liang agreed on a timing for their troop deployment that fell precisely in the gap between the upper and lower tax periods. Such a hasty deployment would certainly leave the Qing army short of provisions, but they could travel by boat all the way to Jingmen, Anlu, and Wuchang, where they could directly seize local supplies.

Jingmen has been mostly occupied by the White Lotus Rebellion bandits. The local people and gentry are all rebels, so they can just rob them as they please.

Anlu and Wuchang are quite troublesome, but we've come this far, so we can't worry about that now.

As long as the rebels can be wiped out, the people don't mind suffering a little more!

Mingliang and E Hui led their troops out together, and in addition to the 20,000 troops that had previously defeated the White Lotus Sect in Xiangyang, they recruited an additional 20,000 new soldiers. These new soldiers had not been trained for long, only two or three months, but they were well fed and paid, and were able to fight a few battles when things were going well.

The Qing army's deployment was indeed unexpected, even somewhat hasty. They didn't even bring civilian laborers to transport supplies, and traveled south along the Han River by boat the entire way.

When the army arrived at Anlu Prefecture, E Hui and Ming Liang divided their forces.

Mingliang led an army of 20,000 to launch a large-scale attack on Jingmen to the west, which also served to attract the attention of the rebels in Jingzhou.

E Hui made a brief stop in Anlu Prefecture before leading the remaining 20,000 troops to launch a surprise attack on the rebels' rear via the Han River.

We arrived in Jingmen Prefecture.

Mingliang first met with the prefect of Jingmen to find out the general situation of the White Lotus Sect in Jingmen, and then led his troops westward to besiege Yuan'an County.

When the magistrate of Yuan'an County, Xi Yunfeng, and the county lieutenant, Chen Deben, saw the Qing army attacking, they initially did not believe in the danger and led several thousand righteous soldiers to ambush and block them at the mouth of the Zhang River.

As expected, the rebel army was defeated.

Mingliang was a veteran general of the Qing army. It was one thing that he couldn't defeat the Han army, but he couldn't even defeat the White Lotus Rebellion bandits?
The Jingmen rebels, though called a rebel army, were basically a rabble. Even when they captured Yuan'an and Dangyang counties, they relied on an inside agent to infiltrate the city first and then coordinate an attack from within to seize the county seat.

After capturing the two counties, they prepared to attack Jingmen Prefecture. However, the prefect of Jingmen already knew about this and sealed off the city gates.

Unable to capture the prefecture city, the Jingmen rebels had no choice but to retreat and occupy the villages and towns of Yuan'an and Dangyang counties.

"General, the bandits entrenched in various villages and towns have been wiped out, and the rest have taken refuge in Yuan'an County."

Upon hearing the deputy general's report, Mingliang nodded slightly and immediately ordered, "Go and arrest some civilians, demolish their houses, and besiege the city."

Because the rebel army in Yuan'an was defeated so quickly, the people who lived along the city walls outside Yuan'an County were unable to retreat back to the county seat in time. At this time, they were all conscripted by the Qing army to help them dismantle their own houses and build siege weapons.

In addition, Mingliang sent out small groups of troops to loot and plunder grain in the countryside and villages.

Since they were all civilians under the rebels' rule anyway, it didn't matter if they looted or not. He didn't bring much food with him, and without looting, he wouldn't have been able to sustain the siege.

Mingliang led an army of 20,000 and captured many civilians and prisoners to serve as laborers, seemingly preparing to launch a strong attack on Yuan'an County.

With the laborers working hard to fill in the moat, several small paths were created in just one day.

Magistrate Xi Yunfeng of Yuan'an County (leader of the rebel army) felt a chill run down his spine. He should have known better than to be so arrogant and reckless as to go out of the city to fight the Qing army. At present, there are only a little over a thousand rebels in Yuan'an County. The original rebel brothers are no more than a third of the original ones. Even Chen Deben, the county lieutenant (deputy leader), is seriously injured.

Xi Yunfeng could only try his best to salvage the situation: "Have the brothers block the city gates, and select a few brave ones to cross the Ju River southward under cover of night and go to Dangyang to ask Boss Liu and the others for help."

The Qing army arrived with a two-sided encirclement, leaving one side unblocked, because the Ju River was to the west of the county town, so the Qing army did not need to block it.

The next day, the Qing army sped up, and the laborers were all driven by the Qing soldiers to rush to the city walls and risk their lives to fill the moat.

The Yuan'an rebels were shocked and had no choice but to defend the city. Many civilians were killed or wounded in the city, and the people in the city were also in a state of panic.

……

Southwest of Xiangyang City, the Prefectural Government Office.

Ma Sheng, the prefect's advisor, had just finished a long day of working with his master and was about to go home to rest.

"Master Ma, someone has delivered a visiting card outside, inviting you to the Longmen Restaurant for a chat."

A clerk from the government office suddenly stopped Ma Sheng and handed him a visiting card.

Ma Sheng was somewhat puzzled, but he still opened the invitation card. Inside, it indeed invited him to a meeting at Longmen Restaurant, and the signature was "Boss Chen".

Boss Chen? Which Boss Chen?

He doesn't know him at all!
Although he didn't recognize the restaurant, he did recognize Longmen Restaurant. It was a long-established restaurant in Xiangyang City. Before the White Lotus Sect bandits came, it was a place where the high-ranking officials and nobles of Xiangyang City liked to eat and gather.

Even now that the White Lotus bandits have emerged, and all the city's supplies and provisions have been centrally transported and several restaurants have been closed, Longmen Restaurant remains open as usual, clearly indicating that it has a powerful backer.

Ma Sheng put away the invitation card, hesitated slightly, but still decided to go to the banquet, since it was just a meal anyway.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Ma Sheng arrived at Longmen Restaurant in a sedan chair.

The Mr. Chen who sent the visiting card was quite sincere, arranging a private room on the second floor, clearly indicating that he was not short of money.

Upon entering the private room, Ma Sheng was somewhat surprised, as he was among the guests, including Yao Yu, the Assistant Magistrate of Xiangyang, Fang Zhenzhong, the Prefectural Magistrate, and Wang Shoubei and Li Youji from the prefectural city.

Ma Sheng dared not be negligent and quickly cupped his hands, saying, "Greetings, esteemed sirs!"

Yao Yu, Fang Zhenzhong, and the others followed suit, cupping their hands in a respectful greeting and saying with smiles, "Master Ma, you flatter us! You flatter us!"

Although Ma Sheng was a clerk without an official position, he was still the clerk of Magistrate Hong. It was acceptable to be polite, but it would be inappropriate to be negligent.

After nodding, Ma Sheng didn't stand on ceremony and found an empty seat to sit down. He was about to ask who the Boss Chen who organized the banquet was.
Suddenly a young man came in. It was already May, but he was still wearing a hat and didn't seem to mind the heat.

"Hehe, I'm a bit late, please forgive me, esteemed gentlemen!" The young man bowed repeatedly to apologize as soon as he entered the private room.

Upon hearing this, Yao Tongzhi and Fang Tongpan rushed to their feet and said with smiles, "Mr. Chen, you're too kind. We've been waiting for you far too soon."

Um?what's the situation?
Ma Sheng was somewhat puzzled. This young man opposite him... no, he should be Boss Chen. Who was this Boss Chen? Even a prefectural magistrate and a vice prefect had to fawn over him.

Before Ma Sheng could continue thinking, Boss Chen suddenly turned his head, looked at the unfamiliar face of Ma Sheng, and smiled: "This gentleman must be Master Ma, the advisor to Prefect Hong, right? My name is Chen Xingye, and I come from Jingzhou. Prefect Yao and Magistrate Fang also call me Boss Chen."

"So it's Boss Chen from Jingzhou. He's indeed a promising young man..."

Just as Ma Sheng was about to get up and exchange pleasantries, it suddenly dawned on him. Wait, Boss Chen from Jingzhou? Isn't Jingzhou the territory of the rebels?
"..."

"I'm against it... Waaah~!"

Just as Ma Sheng was about to cry out in surprise, Wang Shoubei and Li Youji, who were quick-witted and agile, each pressed down on one side of his mouth and covered it.

Chen Xingye said unhurriedly, "Master Ma, you can shout it out now and say that we are traitors, and we can indeed be considered traitors. But you have already come to this private room in the restaurant as agreed. Even if you expose us all, do you think you can get away with it?"

"We are rebels, so what is your place, the advisor who has come to a rebel banquet?"

He didn't say much, but he instantly calmed Ma Sheng down.

That's right. The other side is a rebel. Once this matter is exposed, what will become of me, the advisor who came to the rebel's banquet?

The foolish advisor who came to the banquet was deceived by the rebels. Even if someone did believe him, he would not be exonerated.

This involves traitors!

That's no small matter. Even the "soul-calling" case from decades ago, a fabricated story created by two monks begging for food, could be linked to rebellion and caused a major upheaval in the officialdom of several southeastern provinces. How much more so when there's a real rebel on his side.

Upon realizing this, Ma Sheng was completely stunned. He sat there blankly in his chair. Wang Shoubei and Li Youji had released him, but they were still keeping a close eye on him to prevent him from escaping if things went wrong.

Chen Xingye ignored him and instead asked the obsequious Yao Tongzhi, "Are you sure that the Governor-General of Huguang, E Hui, and the Commander-in-Chief of Huguang, Ming Liang, have led their entire army south?"

Yao Tongzhi said, "Boss Chen, I would never dare to speak carelessly about this matter. Moreover, the governor's troops were dispatched in a very hasty manner. Not only did he only bring 40,000 troops, but we also had to urgently transport the grain. You should know that this year's taxes have not yet been collected, and we don't even know if we can collect them. The grain is simply not enough for the consumption of 40,000 troops in a major battle."

Fang Tongpan also said, "Not only are the provisions insufficient for the army's consumption, but the governor didn't even bring any laborers this time."

Commander Wang and Li, the guerrilla commander, eagerly interjected, "Half of these 40,000 troops were recruited in Xiangyang, and they are all new recruits who have only been trained for a month or two. Of the other 20,000, 6,000 are the elite troops brought by the governor and the old general. We have also seen the remaining 14,000, and they are not much better than the 20,000 Xiangyang soldiers."

Chen Xingye nodded slightly, now he understood more or less.

Of the 40,000 Qing troops who marched south from Xiangyang, only 6,000 were veterans; the rest were all incompetent and lacked sufficient food and supplies.

Have the Qing army gone mad? They dare to fight like this.

The discussion lasted for about half an hour, during which time all the dishes were served. Everyone ate and chatted, with Yao Tongzhi and Fang Tongpan taking the initiative to speak, while Chen Xingye listened and took notes.

After a hearty meal and drinks, Chen Xingye swaggered away in his car.

Instead of returning immediately, Yao Tongzhi and Fang Tongpan handed Ma Sheng a letter, adding, "Master Ma, even a cunning rabbit has three burrows. The governor has taken a risk. If he wins, everything will be fine, but if he loses, we cannot risk our lives along with the governor."

Commander Wang chimed in, "Master Ma, there are no outsiders here, so let's speak frankly. You're a scholar, so you might not understand, but we're military men, and we can see that the lousy soldiers the governor brought are basically incapable of winning a battle. They'll be lucky if they can just force the rebels to retreat."

“Once the governor is defeated, Xiangyang, though a fortified city, will not be able to stop the rebels... Including the White Lotus Sect, which has already been defeated. If they make a comeback at this time, we will definitely not be able to defend the city.”

Chen Xingye was ordered to go north to Xiangyang to establish an intelligence network for the Han army, and it didn't take him too much effort.

With just a little money, he made connections with the Assistant Magistrate and Vice Magistrate of Xiangyang. When they found out, they didn't avoid him like the plague; on the contrary, they were very enthusiastic about getting to know him.

In short, a cunning rabbit has three burrows!

They watched as the rebels in Huguang grew increasingly powerful. Although E Hui had defeated 200,000 White Lotus rebels upon arrival, he had only actually recovered the territory of Xiangyang Prefecture. Moreover, the Han army in Jingzhou soon sent over 2,000 Eight Banner heads.

They really couldn't say how the battle would unfold next, so leaving themselves an escape route was always a good idea.

Ma Sheng was filled with mixed emotions. He wanted to go back to the yamen immediately to report the crime, but he was afraid of implicating himself.

The key point is that, just after the banquet, the Mr. Chen from Jingzhou promised that he would help the Han army pass on messages.

When the Han army captures Xiangyang, even if he is not given the high position of prefect, he can still have the official position of county magistrate.

The county magistrate's position may seem lowly, but it's precisely because of his low rank that his promises are so genuine. Moreover, for Ma Sheng, as long as he held an official position, he was never at a disadvantage.

Those who could become secretaries were those who couldn't pass the imperial examinations and become officials, so they made a living by working as advisors.

Given any opportunity, these people would want to become officials more than anyone else.

After much hesitation, Ma Sheng carefully kept the letter he was supposed to use for communication close to his body. Instead of returning to the government office, he went back to his rented courtyard.

Not long after.

"Sir, Master Ma turned back to his courtyard halfway to the yamen and hasn't come out since."

"Yes, I knew it. Master Ma is a smart man."

……

In Yuan'an County, the Qing army was still besieging the city.

Mingliang had no idea that he and E Hui had led their troops south in haste, intending to catch the rebels off guard. Now, they hadn't even recovered Jingmen, and their comrades had already sold out their military intelligence.

The Qing army claimed to be besiege the city and launch a fierce attack, but they deliberately surrounded two sides and left one side open, even leaving the Ju River open, so that the Yuan'an rebels could go south to ask for help.

Mingliang planned to besiege the city and attack the reinforcements, forcing the rebels to divide their forces and head north, thus creating an opportunity for E Hui to launch a pincer attack on the rebels in Wuchang.

The idea is quite good. If Wuchang were still standing, and the Han army hadn't learned the true strength of the Qing army, their plan might actually have succeeded. Even if it didn't inflict heavy losses on the Han army, it would have at least hindered their expansion in Hubei.

Unfortunately, Wuchang is gone. Not only Wuchang, but Hanyang is also gone, and the counties around Hanyang are also engulfed in flames of war.

E Hui, who was on his way to cross the river and launch a surprise attack, had already completely failed in his strategic plan before he even encountered the Han army.

……

Dangyang County.

Liu Xiushi, pale-faced, knelt on one knee and said, "Liu Xiushi, the magistrate of Dangyang County, greets General Bai!"

Bai Nan remained expressionless and didn't call him to get up. He casually tossed down an appointment document: "This is your official appointment order from the Ministry of Personnel. You will be going to the Post and Communications Department to serve as the newly established Propaganda Assistant Director, a fifth-rank official. That's three ranks higher than your current seventh-rank position as the Magistrate of Dangyang County. You're not being treated unfairly."

Liu Xiu wanted to argue, but after glancing at Bai Nan's expression and the imposing Han soldiers behind him, he finally knelt down to express his gratitude: "Thank you, General!"

A promotion document was issued, and the county of Dangyang took it down.

(End of this chapter)