There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 191 Surrendered Again
The Han army was stalled in Changyang County, but the Han army that split off at Dangyang made good progress.

This time, Bai Nan did not lead the army. Instead, he appointed a commander to lead his own 2,000 troops, along with ten heavy cannons, to cross Yuquan Mountain (not the same Yuquan Mountain) and head west directly towards Yichang Prefecture.

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency, the rebels are coming!"

"Oh, I know."

Wang Yeshan, the prefect of Yichang, was drinking in his courtyard when he saw Dong Bohan, the magistrate of Donghu County, who had come to deliver the news. He simply nodded slightly.

Dong Bohan was somewhat bewildered and could only repeat himself: "Your Excellency, the rebel army has split into two groups and has already captured Changyang County. The White Lotus Sect, which was entrenched in Changyang County, has fled. A rebel army has also arrived from Jingmen in the northeast and has recently reached Tumen Pass. I urge Your Excellency to make a decision as soon as possible!"

"Make a decision? What decision?" Wang Yeshan asked, raising his wine glass.

Dong Bohan was taken aback: "Naturally, it's to recruit soldiers to suppress the bandits..."

Wang Yeshan shook his head and mumbled, "Yichang City has been closed for more than two years. Where would we get the money to recruit soldiers to suppress the bandits? We could ask the wealthy families, but they might be willing to help us deal with the White Lotus Sect. But now it's the Han army that's coming."

After he said that, Dong Bohan was instantly speechless.

Because what Wang Yeshan said was true. Yichang City was able to withstand the White Lotus Sect before because the White Lotus Sect burned, killed, and looted without distinguishing between the rich and the poor. That's why everyone was able to unite and fight together, with those who had money contributing money and those who had manpower contributing manpower.

But now?
The Han army attacked Yichang from both sides. Although they called them rebels, they didn't kill indiscriminately. They simply divided the land among the landlords, forbade landlords to keep slaves, and reduced taxes for the common people while increasing taxes for the landlords.

Such actions, which were once considered "evil policies," are now being used to describe Yichang City, which had already withstood the siege and attack of the White Lotus Sect for two years. Where did these heavenly soldiers come from?

I am afraid of comparison in everything.

The Han army only wanted their land; once they were given land, they would become Han subjects. But the White Lotus sect wanted their land, money, and the lives of their entire families.

"But Your Excellency, are you just going to do nothing? We are officials appointed by the imperial court!" Dong Bohan asked anxiously.

Wang Yeshan put down his wine cup and said calmly, "Therefore, the day the Han army breaches the city will be the day I die for the city. If Magistrate Dong is willing, he can also die for the city with me, or he can pack up now and prepare to surrender to the King of Han! Hehe, the King of Han? The Han army has really become a force to be reckoned with."

In the end, Wang Yeshan no longer cared about any taboos. He couldn't stop the Han army anyway, and surrendering was out of the question. He could only die to repay the court.

He had defended Yichang for the imperial court for two years. It was no longer his fault that the city fell. He died for the city, and the imperial court still had to posthumously reward him and grant his son an official position.

Wang Yeshan completely gave up and prepared to die for the city.

Dong Baihan found no common ground with the prefect and realized that his superior was determined to die. Without further ado, he turned and returned to his office, intending to gather his officers and soldiers to prepare for the city's defense. He also sent men to persuade wealthy households in the city to contribute financially.

Unfortunately, the wealthy families who used to readily hand over money and personnel to the government without a second thought have completely ignored Dong Baihan this time.

The messengers sent by Dong Bohan couldn't even get through the gate; they all refused to see anyone.

Finally, one shop opened, but it was even more outrageous. They gave Dong Bohan one hundred taels of silver and asked him to surrender the city with them.

Upon receiving the silver, Dong Bohan felt no resentment, only helplessness. He no longer wasted time trying to rally the wealthy households and went directly to the city wall to observe the enemy's situation.

They saw thousands of Han soldiers gathered outside the city, at least half of whom had just arrived and left, taking boats westward along the river right in front of Yichang City.

They were going to check on the situation in Guizhou. If there were any White Lotus rebels, they would eliminate them; if not, they would seize Guizhou as well. They certainly couldn't give up these strategic locations along the river.

The Han army no longer took Yichang City seriously. Although Yichang City had held out for more than two years under the siege of the White Lotus Sect, it was clear to everyone that the city could not be held for much longer.

"What are the traitors doing?"

Dong Bohan, lying on the city wall, observed that the Han army had done something, and many starving people who had been wandering outside the city were gathering towards the Han army.

Before long, Dong Bohan understood and became even more silent.

He saw that the Han army was actually distributing porridge to the starving people. The Han army outside the city was like government soldiers providing disaster relief, organizing the starving people into groups and lining them up to receive porridge.

The trusted clerk beside him said, "Sir, let's surrender! This rebel doesn't seem as bad as the others. If you surrender, you won't have to fear the rebels' purge."

Upon hearing this, Dong Bohan flew into a rage: "What am I afraid of? I have neither embezzled nor harmed the people. On what grounds do these rebels hold me accountable?"

After he finished speaking, the trusted clerk fell silent.

This Magistrate Dong did not embezzle or harm the people, but that was because he was new and a magistrate of the county seat, and did not have much power to make such a fuss.

Adding to the chaos caused by the White Lotus Sect, Yichang City became an isolated city. He was so busy encouraging and organizing the defense of the city that he was almost exhausted. He had no time to exploit and abuse the people.

This is why the wealthy families in the city wanted to invite the magistrate to join them in rebelling, and his trusted clerks were bold enough to persuade him to surrender.

He was at least half a "good official." Although he was forced into it by circumstances, it was rare to see someone who wasn't so corrupt in the dark world of Qing Dynasty officialdom, which was quite remarkable.

Just as Dong Bohan was about to move to the city tower to take a look, a rider suddenly came running from the Han army's position. The cavalryman rushed to within a few dozen paces of the city, took out a piece of paper from his pocket, and shouted word by word: "Listen up, everyone on the city wall! We are the Han army of the Second Division under the command of the King of Han. We have come here only to peacefully take Yichang City."

"The imperial edict of the King of Han is here:"
If Yichang Prefecture is willing to surrender, all officials, scholars, and commoners will be pardoned and their past transgressions forgiven. You have already defended the city for over two years, resisting the White Lotus rebels for two years; you should not continue fighting, which would only waste lives. The Han army is not the White Lotus Rebellion; the King of Han only seeks to overthrow the Qing and restore the Han, to overthrow the pseudo-Qing, and to find a way to survive for all the people of the world!

After saying this, he waved the imperial edict back and forth, shouting for the Qing soldiers on the city wall to come and take it up to see.

Before Dong Bohan could give the order, some Qing soldiers took it upon themselves to put down the baskets and hang the imperial edict up.

Most of these Qing soldiers were recruited from within the city, as well as men from wealthy families. Most of them were illiterate, but there were a few literate ones, and a few clerks who rushed over upon hearing the news.

Upon receiving the edict, he saw that the handwriting inside was very neat (drafted by a secretary), and the content was similar to what the cavalryman had read. However, there was a large red seal in the center of the letter.

The clerks couldn't quite decipher the characters on it, but Dong Bohan came over, took the edict, glanced at it, and his eyes widened instantly: "By the mandate of Heaven, may your reign be long and prosperous!"

"What Heaven do you speak of? And what Yongchang do you mean by 'receiving blessings'?"

"I didn't hear that clearly. I heard it, something like 'Born of Heaven, may your life be long and prosperous'? What does that mean?"

"Wait, I think I've heard my eldest nephew mention these words before. Apparently, they were used by the emperor."

"For the Emperor? How can a rebel use this? Aren't they afraid of divine retribution?"

"Hey, didn't you hear what Clerk Zhou just read? The King of Han! That's a king! He's almost as powerful as the emperor."

"..."

Several Qing soldiers chattered amongst themselves, oblivious to everyone else. It was Zhou, the clerk, who noticed the magistrate's expression was not good and quickly coughed a few times.

"Ahem, that's enough. Go back to your posts."

The Qing soldiers continued to whisper among themselves until they returned, while Dong Bohan didn't look at them at all, his eyes fixed on the large seal on the letter.

"Grandpa...Grandpa?"

"Go back!"

Dong Bohan suddenly raised his head, returned the letter to Zhou Shuli, then shook his hand and walked down the city wall alone, looking dejected.

The clerks Zhou and his companions exchanged glances, looking at the letter in their hands. The contents of the letter clearly appealed to them.

Surrender now and all past transgressions will be forgiven; everyone will receive a pardon. This offer may seem like it offers no benefits, but having already endured the siege by the White Lotus Sect and nearly died in Yichang, they had long since lost any desire for promotion or wealth.

They were already grateful to have survived; they didn't even want the land anymore, and they would give it to the Han army if they wanted it.

Compared to these material possessions, life is the most important thing.

"Can this... be believed?"

"Whether we can believe it or not, we can't stop the Han army outside the city."

“That’s right, and the Han army has always had a good reputation. This edict was personally written by their King Han. Those ignorant people don’t understand, but we have all been educated for a few years. This is a king, not an ordinary rebel.”

"And this central seal, we all heard what Grandfather just said clearly: 'By the mandate of Heaven, may your reign be long and prosperous.' This is a seal that only the Emperor can use!"

"Then...it's gone down?"

"Surrender! The Han army is already at the city gates, and the prefect and other officials are not here. Only our patriarch led us up here. What do we have to do with this?"

That night, a loud commotion suddenly broke out in Yichang.

Several clerks each led several squads of Qing soldiers, along with the servants of wealthy families in the city, to disperse and arrest people at county and prefectural government offices.

Wang Yeshan, the prefect of Yichang, was prepared. Upon hearing the commotion outside, he immediately took out a rope, hung it from the roof beam, and then hanged himself northward.

The next morning.

Officials and gentry of Yichang Prefecture surrendered the city.

The prefect, assistant prefect, and county magistrate had all committed suicide, and the sub-prefect had also died in battle a year ago. However, the remaining county clerk, the prefectural school official, and many other officials all surrendered quickly. Even the archives and household registration information in the prefectural city were well preserved, and no one frantically ordered them to be burned.

Yichang Prefecture was captured by the Han army without bloodshed, but the city was in ruins and would require at least several years of pacification and recuperation.

(End of this chapter)