There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 197 Infiltration

Xiangyang.

The condition of the Huguang Admiral Mingliang has improved, and he is now able to attend to official business normally.

He first reinstated all the Green Standard Army officers who had been defeated in the previous battle in Jingzhou, and then held a banquet for them. During the banquet, he personally drank with each of them as a form of self-punishment, and said that the future battle situation and military affairs would rely heavily on these people.

Such a humble attitude and such heavy reliance on him quickly calmed down the restless and dissatisfied emotions of the crowd.

Of course, this is just a way to appease people. Once a crack appears, it appears. No matter how much you repair and mend it, even if you remove the surface traces, the underlying problems will still remain.

However, none of that matters. What Mingliang wants is just superficial reassurance to keep these people in check and prevent them from making any last-minute blunders.

Mingliang was unaware that many of these people had already been secretly turned to the side by Chen Xingye, the head of the Han army's intelligence service. He was simply making reasonable precautions based on the current military reports.

Despite all my fears, the worst news has still arrived!

E Hui was defeated, and suffered a crushing defeat. Three thousand Manchu cavalrymen were wiped out, and even E Hui, the Governor-General of Huguang, died on the battlefield.

How can he fight like this?
Mingliang didn't even dare to continue being sick. He could only force himself to say that his condition had improved, and then personally stepped forward to appease the generals in Xiangyang and temporarily stabilize them.

Then, he went to find a group of civil officials, including the prefect of Xiangyang, and urged them to hurry up and raise money and grain to help the court recruit soldiers to fight the bandits.

That's right, it's about resisting the rebels. Mingliang has given up hope of annihilating them. The fighting has already reached this point, how can he still expect to annihilate them? He'd be lucky to even hold Xiangyang.

With both armies defeated, Governor-General E Huicheng died, and the Admiral fell ill after the defeat. Xiangyang was no longer able to hold out.

But Mingliang could not retreat; to do so would be tantamount to handing over Xiangyang, and he would have no way to explain it to the retired emperor.

Furthermore, if Xiangyang were to fall, the situation in the south would likely deteriorate completely. Therefore, he had to hold on, even if it meant dying in Xiangyang, he couldn't abandon such a strategic stronghold in vain.

Fortunately, the prefect of Xiangyang was surnamed Hong, and he was a descendant of Hong Chengchou. He was a die-hard traitor from birth, so it was impossible for him to surrender to the anti-Qing and pro-Han traitors. Therefore, he could entrust the task to him with peace of mind.

Hong Shiquan did indeed do his best, but unfortunately neither he nor Mingliang had considered that the Han army never intended to turn him against them. The Han army had only turned all the civil and military officials below the prefect of Xiangyang against them, and even the prefect's most trusted advisor, Ma Sheng, had joined the Han army.

Mingliang's attempt to appease and apologize appeared to be full of sincerity. He was a Manchu admiral and the uncle of Fukang'an, a veteran general of the Qing Dynasty who was once highly regarded by the retired emperor and a powerful relative of the empress. Any one of these titles was impressive, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he had condescended to be so high-ranking.

Unfortunately, it's all nonsense.

The past is the past, and the present is the present. What good is a noble status if you lose a battle?

Tens of thousands of troops were gone, as were six thousand cavalry. The defense of Xiangyang was left with only a thousand or so new recruits. They were trying to defend it with a hammer.

Moreover, even the Governor-General of Huguang, E Hui, was killed in battle. He was a capable governor who had defeated 100,000 White Lotus rebels. If he couldn't even defeat the Han army, how could we expect these defeated generals to stop the Han army's advance? What a joke!
Mingliang's plans were all wrong, not because he was incompetent, but because the Han army had some kind of cheat code.

With radio as an instant communication tool, there was no need to send someone to deliver messages on the road. Mingliang had just hosted a banquet for the generals in Xiangyang to apologize, and the King of Han in Jingzhou knew about it the next hour.

Longmen Restaurant.

"Boss Chen, that old dog Mingliang suddenly invited us to a banquet today. We were once his subordinates, and now that our military power has been taken away, we really can't find an excuse not to go. We hope Boss Chen will forgive us!"

"Yes, yes! We have no choice but to do this, and we hope Mr. Chen can understand."

"Mr. Chen, I'm willing to punish myself with three drinks as an apology..."

"I'll punish myself with six drinks..."

"I will punish myself with twelve..."

"..."

Chen Xingye stepped forward and grasped the hand of the captain who was about to punish himself with three cups of wine, saying with a smile, "Gentlemen, there's no need for that. I'm not so unreasonable. Mingliang's invitation to you all today was indeed unexpected. Besides, you all arrived on time for the banquet tonight, so there's nothing to worry about!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a chill inexplicably crept into everyone's hearts.

This sounds like it's nothing, but the last sentence is the key: if you arrive at the banquet on time, then of course there's nothing to worry about, but what if you don't arrive on time?

"Hehe...hehe..."

Everyone forced a laugh, a very awkward laugh, especially the boss whose hand was being grabbed, who looked even worse than if he were crying.

Chen Xingye gave them a proper reprimand before sitting back down. He then gestured for the others to sit down as well before getting down to business.

Li Hu, the guerrilla commander of Xiangyang, spoke first: "Boss Chen, that old dog hosted a banquet for us today. He kept telling us that he wanted us to continue to command the troops and planned to return the military power that he had previously taken back. It seems that he no longer guards against us. After we went back, we racked our brains but still couldn't figure out what that old dog was up to."

Xiangyang Tongzhi Yao Yu said, "I can guess the reason for this. Although Mingliang covered up the news very well, I happened to have contact with the owners of several medical clinics in the city. They sent me the news that half a month ago they sent a batch of medicines to the governor's office. Not only did they increase the dosage, but they also sent several extra doses of strong medicine."

"A strong medicine?" Chen Xingye asked.

Yao Yu said, "They are all potent medicines like ginseng to prolong life. In addition, Mingliang urged us to raise money and recruit soldiers as soon as possible. I observed that his complexion was rosy, which is obviously not the state that should be after a long illness. Even if he has improved, he should not be so rosy. He must have taken ginseng to force himself to stay healthy."

Chen Xingye understood and became even more cautious. He hadn't expected this old guy to be so ruthless to him!

He actually took strong medicine to force himself to get up despite his illness, and then falsely claimed that he was cured.

That's not all. In order to win over the Han Chinese officers and soldiers in Xiangyang, he didn't hesitate to put aside his dignity and offer them wine as an apology.

Such a ruthless man! Fortunately, the Han army seized the initiative, forcing him to hastily send out troops and suffer a crushing defeat in one battle. Otherwise, if they still had 40,000 troops at their disposal, and those 40,000 were veterans who had been training for a year and a half, even if the Han army's strength were doubled, they might not have been able to take Xiangyang City.

Xiangyang was a vital city in the country. Even bombarding it with siege cannons weighing several tons couldn't break through its walls. I reckon even digging tunnels to blow up the city would be a stretch.

Chen Xingye nodded: "Prefect Yao did a good job. I know about this news. If it is true, then Mingliang's days are numbered. He can't hold onto military power forever. He wants to use this to make you fight to the death to defend the city, and to make you completely oppose my Han army!"

"Mr. Chen, we absolutely have no such intention!"

"Yes! Boss Chen, our loyalty and respect for the General... no, for the King of Han are as clear as day and night."

A group of people hurriedly began to explain, afraid that if they were too late, they would be unable to clear their names. How could they possibly stop the Han army so easily?
"Cough cough!"

Chen Xingye coughed to stop everyone, then continued, "The loyalty of you generals to my king is beyond question, so let's leave that topic aside for now and move on to the next matter. Yao Tongzhi, Fang Tongpan, and Master Ma, how many soldiers has Mingliang recruited so far? And how much money and grain does he have left?"

The three exchanged glances, and it was Master Ma who spoke first: "It's already September, and the taxes for the second half of the year have basically been paid. When the governor was alive, he would pretend to leave some disaster relief funds for Xiangyang. But now, not a single penny has been left, and the local people are left to fend for themselves."

"The local area is too badly damaged, so naturally they can't pay much tax. It's common for large areas of land to be abandoned. In addition, Xiangyang City has been besieged by the White Lotus Sect for several months. Before that, it had to support the tens of thousands of soldiers of E Hui and Ming Liang. The wealthy families have no surplus grain. No matter how much they donate, they can't donate much."

"Therefore, if we only look at the reserves of money and food, it is far from enough. Moreover, since Ming Dynasty was defeated and brought back, it has been working on recruiting soldiers, which consumes a huge amount of money and food. Even if we encourage wealthy families to donate, it is still not enough."

"Currently, there are still about 6,000 soldiers in Xiangyang City, of which more than 3,000 are new recruits. The other 3,000 are veterans, most of whom are defeated soldiers who fled back from the battlefield, and their combat strength is worrying."

After several rounds of conversation, the implication was that Xiangyang had no money, no people, and no food, so Mingliang was simply putting up a brave front.

Others might not know, but these civil officials, and even the prefect's advisors, were very clear about Xiangyang's financial and grain reserves.

They understood perfectly well that Xiangyang was not going to hold on at all; without external help, it was just a dilapidated house on the verge of collapse, ready to crumble at the slightest touch.

While Chen Xingye was still pondering, Fang Zhenzhong, the prefect of Xiangyang, suddenly asked, "Boss Chen, when will the Prince of Han march north and take Xiangyang? We are already eagerly waiting."

After he finished speaking, the others present realized what he meant and quickly echoed his sentiments.

Their eagerness to ask wasn't because they were truly impatient, but rather because they wanted to subtly confirm whether they, as the King of Han's inside agents, could truly redeem themselves through meritorious service.

Whether I become an official or not doesn't matter, as long as I can keep my life.

Chen Xingye understood their meaning and did not hide anything: "It is definitely not possible this year. The army has just fought two major battles and captured Wuchang, Hanyang, Anlu and Jingmen. Now that Your Majesty has ascended the throne, there is really no time to spare to go north and attack Xiangyang."

"However, I can guarantee that His Majesty will definitely send troops north by next year at the latest. When Xiangyang is captured, you will all be promoted to at least a seventh-rank official, if not your original positions."

These people might not believe it if you said they would be promoted and made rich, but if they were demoted instead of promoted after the war, they would have no choice but to believe it.

If you really don't intend to keep your promise, you can just shower me with rewards. But you only do this kind of hard-pressing to lower the price if you intend to honor it.

Now they could finally relax.

As a guerrilla fighter in Xiangyang, Li Hu simply stood up to offer Chen Xingye a toast.

After a few rounds of drinks, Chen Xingye made work arrangements.

The civil officials in Xiangyang continued to follow Mingliang's instructions to raise money and grain to help recruit soldiers, but they could now decide which soldiers to recruit.

Mingliang has returned military power to the Green Standard Army officers and officers in Xiangyang. They should hold onto it carefully and not rush to take action.

It's uncertain whether they can win if they act now, and as a veteran general, Mingliang certainly wouldn't be without a backup plan. Therefore, these people will first lie in wait under Mingliang's command, and when the Han army attacks Xiangyang next year, they will defect together and help the Han army decide the fate of Hubei in one battle.

Jingzhou, the Prince of Han's Palace.

Nie Yu was flipping through several memorials, which were specific plans and arrangements for the environment and culture of Chenzhou, Baoqing, and Yongzhou.

The situation in Chenzhou is relatively simple. There are many Han Chinese people here, and they surrendered voluntarily, so we can't count them based on occupied territory. We need to use some appeasement tactics.

Pan Boyong, the prefect of Chenzhou, was pardoned, but his official position was revoked. He was transferred to the Ministry of Rites, where he was promoted one rank and put in charge of the education development of various prefectures.

The situations in Baoqing Prefecture and Yongzhou Prefecture were different.

Baoqing Prefecture verbally cooperated but did not actually cooperate. Yongzhou Prefecture verbally refused to cooperate but was actually willing to cooperate partially.

The reason it was only a part was that the leaders of the rebel army in Yongzhou Prefecture were willing to allow Han army officials to enter, but only in certain areas. They also refused to allow Han army troops to go to the core of their Yao village in the mountains, which was both cooperative and wary.

The opinions given by the cabinet ministers were mostly conservative, advocating that the army should take over Yongzhou Prefecture first.

Although Ding Yunjin, the prefect of Yongzhou, had the merit of surrendering the city, his situation was too special. He could not stop the Yao rebels, so he came to the Han army for protection.

It cannot be counted as merit, nor can merits and demerits be offset; it should be handled as it should be.

The Ministry of Personnel has already decided on the candidate for Prefect of Yongzhou. His name is Xu Minwen, and he is an ordinary poor man who was promoted through normal channels to become a land distribution official.

Although it looks like a promotion, he was also responsible for wartime arrangements. His territorial power was still far less than that of an actual prefect. He could only control a small part of the northern part of Yongzhou Prefecture, and had no control over the Yao tribe in the south.

The army is temporarily stationed in the north of Yongzhou Prefecture, and Prefect Xu's main task at present is to oversee the land redistribution in the north.

Because there were simply not enough officials, it was impossible to fill all the positions of town mayor and land distribution official. They could only rely on the peasant association for help. It was a tough job, but if done well, the political achievements would certainly be better than those of an ordinary prefect.

The Yao tribe's militia in the south of Yongzhou will not go there for the time being, including their troops and officials, but the peasant association can go.

The farmers' association was just a group of villagers; it could only be considered a village and town organization, not an official internal affairs system, and they didn't even receive salaries.

Let the farmers' associations go by; there's no need to deliberately spread their word. The Yao people in the south will always need daily necessities like salt and tea, and their goods will always need to be purchased and consumed by the Han people.

When doing business, after a few transactions, the peasant association only needs to promote the Han army's land distribution policy from time to time, and all ethnic groups can be treated equally.

The Yao people certainly wouldn't believe these words from the government, but it's a different story when these words come from ordinary, impoverished farmers.

If even one out of ten Yao people believes in it, then they have succeeded.

The Yao people were able to unite as one to kill officials and rebel against the Qing Dynasty because the Qing government had been too harsh on them. If the government had treated them a little better and given them the same treatment as the Han people, they probably wouldn't have caused such a big disturbance.

Rebellion isn't like a dinner party; it can kill people. If you're not desperate, who would want to rebel every other day?

Nie Yu replied with a single sentence: "Approved."

(To be continued tomorrow...)
(End of this chapter)