There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 189 The Autumn Wind Sweeps the Fallen Leaves

Nie Yu became king, and his father, Nie Jie, wasn't too embarrassed, so he gave him the title of Supreme King.

As a matter of course, Lady Chen Huilan was made Queen of Han, and her maid Liu (You Niang) became the new Queen Consort and entered the harem.

Liu Jun, as the Grand Secretary of the new cabinet, took the lead in opposing this, because Liu was only a maidservant, and it was too improper for the dignified King of Han to marry a slave as his queen.

Nie Yu immediately retorted, "Maids and servants? Where do slaves come from under the rule of my Han army?"

Alright, Liu Jun immediately fell silent; he understood what the king meant.

If the King of Han could marry a former slave girl as his queen, then those servants and maids who had escaped slavery and become commoners should certainly not be looked down upon.

Do you look down on servants?
The Princess Consort of Han was once a slave. The King of Han has openly stated that there is no slave status. What are you trying to do?
Are you against the King of Han?
Meanwhile, Nie Yu declared himself King of Han, and the Han army officially rose from a makeshift organization to a powerful regional warlord.

The original eight departments, one cabinet, and one office were officially reorganized into seven ministries, two cabinets, and one academy, and the Army Commander-in-Chief's Office and the Navy Commander-in-Chief's Office were established separately.

In addition, a Propaganda Department and an Intelligence Department were established. The former was placed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Posts and Communications, while the latter was directly under the Han Prince's Palace, specializing in foreign spy activities and intelligence gathering.

The civil service system of the Han army was improved, and the military generals were not forgotten either. The two newly established governorates were set up specifically for the military general system.

Previously, although the distinction between military and civil officials in the Han army was clear, the system was still relatively vague. As the general command of the land and naval forces, the Han Army Commandery possessed too much military power, and if not properly controlled, it could allow civil officials to completely suppress military officers.

It wasn't a problem that civil officials didn't have the power to command troops; in the early Ming Dynasty, civil officials initially didn't have this power either. However, they also first controlled the army's logistics, and then gradually squeezed military generals out of actual supreme military command.

Don't ask about the Manchus; they were different. They directly controlled all power through the Manchu nobility. Therefore, the Qing Dynasty was more corrupt and dark than any other dynasty because power was completely unchecked, leading to unbridled behavior.

Under the control of the Han army, all troops with official designations, including the navy, recruit camps, and military academies, were placed under the jurisdiction of the two major military commands, the land and water commands.

The Grand Commander's Office of the Army Corps will not be established for the time being; it will be directly under the jurisdiction of Nie Yu, the Prince of Han.

The Naval Grand Commander's Office appointed Lei Dabiao, the commander of the First Naval Division, who had previously participated in the attack on Wuchang and Hanyang and cooperated with the land forces to blockade the Yangtze River waterway, as Grand Commander.

There was really no other way but to appoint this brute as the Grand Admiral of the Navy.

The Han army's navy was terrible; it was practically an empty shell, and then nothing else was left.

The warships were all converted from civilian ships, and there weren't enough cannons. They were all borrowed from the artillery workshops that had been used to forge cannons for the army. The army had 10,000 men, more than half of whom were former bandits from Dongting Lake.

Fortunately, despite its poor state and dire financial situation, the navy at least had a basic framework.

The Qing army did not move the Fujian Navy, so the Han Chinese beggar navy, which carried a few naval cannons, was an invincible force in the Yangtze River waterway.

It's a contest of who's worse!
As long as the enemy is worse than me, then I am strong.

When Nie Yu proclaimed himself King of Han, all ceremonies were kept simple. He only used the radio to announce the names of the prefectures under his rule, and that was it.

It was only through the help of the town mayor, the land distribution official, and the farmers' association that the common people realized there was a king above them.

"Huh? King of Han? What's King of Han?"

"Um, I heard that he is the superior of the officials, much more powerful than those officials, and is in charge of those officials."

"Isn't that still the Great General!"

"Hey, no, no, Lao Liu, Lao Hu, you two, stop spouting nonsense! I asked my kid who goes to the village primary school, and this King Han seems to be pretty much like an emperor..."

"Wow! The Great General has become Emperor?"

"Not the Emperor, but the King of Han, you should call him Your Majesty... right?"

"Haha, that's great news! The General is such a good person, treating us so well. Now that the General has become the King, our good days can continue forever!"

"No, I have to go to town."

What are you going to town for?

"Let's pray to the Bodhisattva! May the Bodhisattva bless the General... no, let the King of Han live to be a hundred years old, so that our good days can last for another ten years!"

"Old Hu, what nonsense are you talking about! The Prince of Han is a true Son of Heaven, just like the Emperor. He's supposed to live to be a hundred years old. You're asking the Bodhisattva to bless him to live to be a hundred? Aren't you afraid of retribution?"

"..."

Under the rule of the Han army, the people in towns and villages across the country were all excited when they heard the news from the town mayors, land distribution officials, and farmers' associations that the general had declared himself king.

Most of them were illiterate, but when they learned that the King of Han was almost like the Emperor, no one felt anything was wrong; on the contrary, they were very happy.

Because the previous emperor claimed to be the great Qing Dynasty during the Qianlong era, but the people there couldn't get enough to eat all year round. They even had to sell their children and eventually became refugees, wandering around begging for a living, with most of their families starving to death.

Now that the general is going to be the "emperor," isn't that their good fortune?

The general allocated land to them, reduced their taxes, and sent scholars to help them build roads and dig ditches. This ensured that even in the summer when water was scarce, they could irrigate their crops normally, and that villages wouldn't fight over a few drops of water. He also led them in reclaiming wasteland.

Later, the general even ordered the government to fund the construction of a village primary school in each of their villages, and the general himself named the schools. The teachers in the village primary schools were all hired by the government, and they didn't have to pay tuition fees to send their children to school. The village primary schools even provided an extra lunch, and Nie Yu argued with Lin Wenchang for a long time over this lunch.

The people have discerning eyes. The general treats them well, provides them with food, allows them to study, and gives them hope for the future. Naturally, they will firmly support him.

Within days of the announcement, local government offices began reporting that many people had brought vegetables and grains they had grown themselves to the government.

Although each person took only a small amount, the sheer number of people giving gifts was overwhelming. Moreover, they all specifically stated that the gifts were for the King of Han, so the local officials dared not refuse them or accept them, and could only consult their superiors.

When the message reached the Prince of Han's residence, Nie Yu was both amused and exasperated: "Accept it! Issue another order to have the local government persuade the people that we've taken the goods first, and next year's taxes will be reduced by 10%."

Chief Regent Liu Jun cupped his hands and smiled, saying, "As Your Majesty commands."

Reducing taxes would be a perfect way to reward the people for the grain they had voluntarily donated after becoming king.

In this way, the government did not suffer too much loss, the people received tangible benefits, and the King of Han gained fame—a win-win situation.

Of course, this is also due to the fact that the taxes levied on the Han army have become very low after several reforms, and the people can't pay much tax at all.

The newly appointed Minister of Revenue, Lin Wenchang, was only happy for a few days before he was about to feel bad again, as taxes were directly reduced by 10%.

Although the people provided supplementary grain, the accounts cannot be calculated in this way. Even after deducting 10% of the taxes, it still represents a significant expenditure for the Han army's finances, which is equivalent to the Han army actively subsidizing the people.

"Have all the letters to our Heavenly King Zhang been sent out?" Nie Yu suddenly asked again.

Liu Jun said, "They have already been sent out. Letters have also been sent to Lan Jinlong, the false King of the Hunan Yao tribe, and to the troops of the King of Slaughter, urging them to surrender. Judging from the time, they should still be on their way. However, the false Heavenly King Zhang Zhengmo should have already received the letter of persuasion to surrender."

Nie Yu established his kingdom, and the first step he took was to weed.

The Hunan region is rife with rebel armies that nominally submit to us, but in reality, they operate independently, creating a chaotic situation that must be reduced.

The White Lotus sect in Hubei also needs to be weeded out; we can't let them continue their rampant growth and destruction.

After the destruction, the Han army will have to put in a lot of effort to restore and repair the damage.

……

Changyang.

"It's too much to bully others, it's really too much to bully others!"

Zhang Zhengmo suddenly tore the letter of surrender in his hand to shreds, then raised his broadsword to chop down the young man opposite him who claimed to be a messenger of the King of Han.

The messenger scoffed without speaking, tilting his head back to await the executioner's blade.

Just as Zhang Zhengmo was about to strike, Liu Hongduo stepped in and stopped him: "Your Majesty, spare his life! In war between two nations, envoys are not to be killed!"

Zhang Zhengmo, "stopped," had a way out and didn't insist on brandishing his knife anymore, so he sat back down. He angrily shouted at the messenger, "Go back and tell your so-called King of Han... Bah! What King of Han? I'm the Heavenly King! What's the use? Let that brat fight if he wants to, I'll fight him to the end!"

The messenger cupped his hands in farewell: "In that case, I'll take my leave!"

After the messenger was "escorted" out of the city by soldiers, Liu Hongduo stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, our Tianyun Army suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Xiangyang, and our troops have not yet been replenished. If we force a battle with the Han army, I'm afraid it will be difficult!"

Zhang Zhengmo suddenly said, "Who said I was going to fight that little kid to the death?"

"What does the Heavenly King mean?" Liu Hongduo asked, somewhat puzzled.

Zhang Zhengmo shook his head and said, "Although I am not convinced by that little kid, he does have some ability and courage. I am not as good as him in this respect, and I cannot defeat his Han army. If a war really breaks out, even if my Tianyun Army's main force is not damaged, I am afraid it will not be a match for him."

Liu Hongduo exclaimed in surprise: "Then just now..."

Zhang Zhengmo said, "I did this on purpose, to make that kid think I was going to defend the city to the death, but in reality, we had already abandoned Changyang County and left. By the time that kid gathers his troops here, Changyang County will be nothing but an empty city."

"Your Majesty, what a brilliant plan!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Hongduo breathed a sigh of relief and immediately began to flatter him.

Zhang Zhengmo smiled bitterly: "What good plan, Second Brother? At this point, let's not talk such useless words. In the battle of Xiangyang, Third Brother fought against the Qing cavalry alone to cover you and me, and died tragically under the walls of Xiangyang. So, we can't die here, and we can't die at the hands of the Han army. We must avenge Third Brother's death at the hands of the Qing!"

When the topic turned to the third brother, Chen Rong, Liu Hongduo also looked sad as he gazed at the empty third chair.

A year ago, the three brothers were still here in Changyang County, drinking and chatting happily about the state of the world.

Now, the three brothers have become two. The youngest, Chen Rong, has been buried forever beneath the walls of Xiangyang City. His head was even cut off and became part of the Qing Dynasty's achievements. His body was mutilated and he could not rest in peace.

No sooner had the messenger of the King of Han left Changyang County than the rebel army in Changyang County began to speed up the gathering of money, grain and supplies, and plundered the people everywhere, taking everything they could carry away.

Anything that cannot be taken away should be burned on the spot, leaving not a single grain of food for the Han army.

(End of this chapter)