There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 185 Unstoppable
The second day of the seventh month in the second year of the Jiaqing reign.

The Han army launched a two-pronged attack from the east and west on Anlu Prefecture.

The western route started from Jingmen, with Bai Nan personally leading more than 4,000 troops and bringing 32 heavy cannons (captured from Qing troops).

The eastern route started from the lower reaches of the Han River, sailing upstream to launch a surprise attack on the three southern counties of Anlu Prefecture.

The third day of July.

The rebel army in Mianyang Prefecture thought the Han army was coming to attack them, and they were so frightened that they hurriedly sent envoys to surrender to the Han army.

Mianyang Prefecture surrendered without a fight, and the entire territory of Hanyang Prefecture was unified in the blink of an eye.

July 5th.

When the Han army's navy arrived at Xinglong Town, the local landlords, upon hearing the news, immediately led the wealthy households and common people of the town to kneel and welcome the Han army with food and drink.

The magistrate of Qianjiang County also learned of the Han army's attack, along with the bad news that the Governor-General of Huguang had been defeated and killed, and that his entire army of 20,000 had been wiped out.

The magistrate of Qianjiang County did not surrender. Instead, he locked himself in the backyard of the yamen. When the county magistrate and the registrar led the yamen runners to break down the gate, they found that the magistrate had hanged himself some time ago and was shamelessly facing north when he committed suicide.

The county magistrate of Qianjiang was automatically promoted to acting magistrate. Originally, they wanted to discuss with the magistrate whether to surrender or flee.
It's impossible to defend a city like that; a county town only has a few thousand people. The Governor-General of Huguang led an army of 20,000, but they were all defeated and wiped out by the Han army. The Governor-General himself was killed in battle. How could they possibly hold out?

Now that the former magistrate has committed suicide, they no longer need to discuss it. They can simply cut off his head, tan it, and send it to Xinglong Town as a pledge of surrender.

The Han army's surrender meant they had abandoned darkness and embraced light, or that Shunyi had surrendered the city during the siege.

If the Han army refuses to surrender, then they should slip away quickly with the silver.

The sixth day of the seventh lunar month.

Qianjiang County voluntarily surrendered, offering not only the magistrate's head but also a batch of grain and fodder as a token of their sincerity.

Yang Fang took the grain and fodder, but did not personally take over the county town. He only sent a battalion commander with a hundred Han soldiers to garrison the county, while he himself led the main army to continue north.

All the officials, big and small, including the county magistrate and registrar of Qianjiang, breathed a sigh of relief and worked even harder than when they were officials in the Qing court.

In their view, Yang Fang's acceptance of their grain and the dispatch of Han troops to garrison the city was tantamount to acknowledging their merit in surrendering the city.

Actually, these are all misunderstandings.

Yang Fang received the grain and fodder purely as a precaution; he didn't carry much grain and fodder, and having a reserve was always a good thing. Moreover, even with the grain and fodder he received, he had already reported it by telegram and had the military clerk make a clear record in the archives.

Although Qianjiang County has just surrendered, the grain and fodder provided are still from Qianjiang County, and these things need to be clearly accounted for.

Sending troops to the county is also part of the military's duty and a necessary arrangement made before the officials arrive.

As a military officer, Yang Fang did not have the authority to arbitrarily arrange the affairs of surrendered local officials. The Han army's military and civil administration systems were clearly separated. Unless Nie Yu issued an order to temporarily place Qianjiang County under military control as a frontline military town, Yang Fang had no right to directly control the county.

Even if they were placed under military control, Han military generals could only exercise restraint, not direct control, nor could they appoint or dismiss officials. Local civil officials were still required, and their appointment and dismissal were decided by the central civil official system of the Han army.

In other words, how to deal with these surrendered local officials will have to wait until their successors arrive.

How the trial will proceed, and whether they can atone for their crimes, will depend on just how many crimes these guys have committed.

The seventh day of July.

Today is Qixi Festival, also known as the ancient version of Valentine's Day, but in reality, by the Jiaqing era, Qixi Festival had already gradually declined.

why?

Of course, it was because they were poor. They were so poor that the White Lotus Rebellion broke out, and they couldn't even survive.

Who has nothing better to do than celebrate Qixi Festival?

The magistrate of Tianmen County, located along the Sanhan River (Tianmen River), was quite unconventional. Instead of committing suicide like the magistrate of Qianjiang County, he simply surrendered to the Han army, bringing with him his official seal and all the officials in the city.

The Han army captured two counties in Anlu Prefecture in just three days without lifting a finger.

The ninth day of July.

The Han army marched north without any further obstacles and was ready to advance and besiege Anlu Prefecture.

Jingshan County, north of Tianmen County, is quite far from the Han River, so Yang Fang didn't want to waste time attacking it. He directly dispatched two hundred Han soldiers to take over Tianmen County, along with the surrendered magistrate of Tianmen County, to persuade Jingshan County to surrender as well.

……

Anlu Prefecture.

Prefect Hu Qilun lay on the city wall, staring in astonishment at the tens of thousands of Han soldiers besieging the city and the Han navy warships patrolling the river.

Almost a day earlier, a large number of warships appeared on the Han River and came from the south. The Qing soldiers on the city wall thought that the governor’s ship had returned and were about to go to notify the city gate to open it to welcome it.

"Boom!" A cannon shot came straight at them, hitting the city wall squarely and blasting cracks and craters into the stone bricks.

Then, the Han army landed without hindrance. Yang Fang's more than two thousand Han soldiers, dressed in red uniforms that were distinctly different from those of the Qing army, and holding high banners with Chinese characters, arrived at Anlu Prefecture and set up camp.

Yang Fang arrived in the morning, and in the afternoon, Bai Nan's more than 4,000 Han soldiers also crossed the river and arrived, joining forces with Yang Fang's troops.

After the two armies joined forces, their strength reached more than 6,000 men. Including the navy, the total strength was roughly over 10,000.

The Han army adopted a strategy of surrounding two sides while leaving one side open, with the Han River to the west.

When Prefect Hu Qilun received the news, it was already too late, and he was completely stunned.

"These traitors...where did these traitors come from?"

"My lord, I saw that it seemed to be coming from the south of the Han River. At first, I thought it was the governor's ship, but then suddenly a cannon shot came, almost knocking down the city wall."

The claim of collapsing the city wall is certainly an exaggeration, but it still left Hu Qilun speechless.

His silence was not because the rebels had opened fire on the city walls without warning, but because the rebels came from the south of the Han River, which should have been blocked by the governor. If the rebels wanted to get through, they would have to defeat the governor first.

If we follow this line of reasoning...

Before Hu Qilun could figure it out, a rider suddenly appeared from the rebel camp. He was confused and did not order the arrows to be fired.

The cavalryman jogged closer, stopping just outside the archers' effective firing range. He then carried a cloth bag in one hand and raised a megaphone in the other, shouting, "Listen up, people of the city! Your Governor-General of Huguang has died in battle. What I have in my hand is the head of Governor-General E Hui of Huguang."

After saying that, he untied the cloth bag, and a human head with a braid was pulled out.

From such a distance, it was obvious that they couldn't see clearly, and even if they could, few would recognize what E Hui looked like. But none of that mattered. What mattered was that the cavalryman had already used a loudspeaker to inform the Qing soldiers on the walls of Anlu Prefecture that E Hui was dead and that he had the man's head in his hands.

The Governor-General of Huguang was killed in battle, his head cut off by the rebels. This is unacceptable!
The Qing soldiers on the city wall were all dumbfounded. Not to mention them, even the prefect Hu Qilun was too shocked to contain himself.

The governor is dead? How could the governor be dead?
He still remembered that the governor had led an army of 20,000 to fight the rebels and had once defeated the 200,000-strong White Lotus Sect army in Xiangyang. How could he have suddenly suffered a crushing defeat in Hanyang and lost his life and property?

Hu Qilun was so terrified that he forgot that he should always verify things first. Even if it was a real head, he could simply use his knowledge of the governor to deny that the governor was dead and say that the head was fake.

Unfortunately, it was too late. His reaction wasn't just a beat too slow; he didn't react at all.

In the eyes of those Qing soldiers, it was as if the governor-general had died in battle, and even the prefect was frightened.

Who was the Governor-General of Huguang?
That was an official many ranks higher than the prefect, and he seemed to be a Manchu from the Eight Banners. He had previously defeated the White Lotus Rebellion's 200,000-strong army in Xiangyang.

These Qing soldiers from Anlu Prefecture were not very cultured. They only knew how to look at numbers and battle records, and they didn't think about how many of the White Lotus Sect's 200,000 troops were fake. They only knew that the Governor-General of Huguang defeated an army of 200,000, so the Governor-General of Huguang's army was larger than 200,000.

Now that the Governor-General of Huguang has been killed by the Han army, the Han army is now larger than the Governor-General of Huguang, and larger than an army of 200,000.

Then what's the point of fighting?

Chaos erupted instantly on the walls of Anlu Prefecture. The Qing soldiers had already been defeated by the Han army the day before, which had demoralized them. This was simply the last straw that broke the camel's back.

"Damn it, I thought there was going to be a tough battle. What's going on with Anlu Prefecture?" Yang Fang put down her binoculars and cursed speechlessly.

Despite the insults, we still have to take action; this is a battle opportunity that the other side has handed us over!
Bai Nan made a decisive decision and issued the military order: "All troops, attack the city!"

"Dudududuwuwuwuwu~~~~"

"Dudududuwuwuwuwu~~~~"

Two bugle calls sounded almost simultaneously, and the Han troops brought by Yang Fang and Bai Nan quickly formed ranks and launched an attack on the city.

"kill!"

"The great man is victorious!"

With a few shouts of battle, thousands of Han soldiers launched a fierce attack, and the already chaotic city of Anlu had no chance to resist.

Hu Qilun initially wanted to order the defense of the city: "Come back, everyone! Hold back the rebels, hold them back..."

Before he could finish the second half of his sentence, the prefect also ran off.

Nobody listens to me, so what's the point of defending the city? I should just run away and save my life first.

With the prefects all fleeing, the Qing army lost its unified command, and the Han army's offensive became completely unstoppable.

In less than half an hour, the city wall was completely controlled and taken over by the Han army.

The remaining Qing troops gradually collapsed and fled into the city.

Anlu Prefecture fell in a single battle.

(End of this chapter)