There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 200 Peace Negotiation
At the end of October in the second year of the Jiaqing reign.

The detailed battle situation in Huguang was finally delivered to the Yuanmingyuan in Beijing.

The reason it was sent to the Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan) instead of the Forbidden City is that about half a month ago, due to mismanagement by the eunuchs in the Forbidden City, a fire broke out in the inner palace, directly burning down the Qianqing Palace and the Jiaotai Hall.

When it rains, it pours!
The second year of Jiaqing's reign was a year of many misfortunes for the Great Qing Dynasty. First, Jiaqing's empress died of illness, then the chief minister of the Grand Council, the old general Agui, passed away, and then the Qianqing Palace was suddenly burned down.

All of these things seem to foreshadow some ominous signs.

Fortunately, Emperor Qianlong reigned for sixty years and had accumulated considerable power; the number of officials who were implicated and killed by literary inquisitions was countless.

Otherwise, if it were a slightly more benevolent and weak emperor, at this point, some ministers would have tentatively submitted a memorial requesting that Qianlong issue an edict of self-reproach.

Here's a joke: Emperor Chongzhen reigned for seventeen years and issued six edicts of self-reproach in succession, averaging one every two or three years, which is the most in history.

Meanwhile, the detailed battle report from Huguang sent to the Yuanmingyuan not only mentioned the loss of Wuchang and Hanyang, but also the loss of Anlu Prefecture and Jingmen. Furthermore, some county towns in De'an and Yichang Prefectures were also being continuously harassed by rebels and bandits.

The Governor-General of Huguang, E Hui, had died on the battlefield, tens of thousands of Qing troops were defeated, and the three thousand Manchu cavalry of the Imperial Guard were completely wiped out.

The Governor-General of Huguang, Mingliang, was unable to hold out in Xiangyang alone and requested the imperial court to send reinforcements as soon as possible, otherwise the important town of Xiangyang would be in danger of being defended.

Despite the series of bad news from the battle reports, the Manchu and Han officials in the capital were not particularly surprised or taken aback.

There's nothing I can do; we've already had too much bad news, so a few more won't make a difference.

First, the White Lotus Rebellion, with its hundreds of thousands of members, wreaked havoc in Hubei, shocking both Manchu and Han officials and nobles. Then, the Han army from Hunan and Hubei rose to power, greatly alarming Emperor Qianlong.

The White Lotus sect from Sichuan and Hubei joined forces and inflicted a major defeat on Yi Mian, the governor-general of Shaanxi and Gansu.

Zhong Miao of Yunnan and Guizhou launched a rebellion, and his troops approached Guiyang. The Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou, Le Bao, was unable to suppress it.

Incited by the Yao people of Hunan and Hubei, the Yao people of Guangdong and Guangxi launched a rebellion, killing officials. The Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Ji Qing, struggled to suppress the uprising, which is currently at a stalemate. He also reported to the authorities the presence of a brave Han Chinese general, Yang Yuchun.

Xi'an urgently reported the discovery of a large group of White Lotus sect bandits within its jurisdiction and requested the imperial court to send troops to suppress and expel them.

The White Lotus Rebellion has broken out in Henan. Liu Zhixie, the White Lotus bandit leader who had previously fled, took the opportunity to incite his followers in Henan to rise up. They are currently besieging Ruzhou, and the Henan Green Standard Army is finding it difficult to control the situation.

……

Just by looking at these battle reports, even ordinary people should be able to see that something is extraordinary.

The scope of the rebellion was so wide that it almost rivaled the Revolt of the Three Feudatories during the Kangxi era, directly affecting nine provinces in the north and south. Emperor Qianlong almost thought that his Qing Dynasty was about to enter a period of chaos.

In fact, that's pretty much it. Half the country is in turmoil with rebels. If this isn't a chaotic world, then what is?
What Emperor Qianlong was unaware of was that there was also a rebellion in Jiangxi, but the news was suppressed by the local officials of Jiangxi.

Jiangxi holds an extremely important position, not only strategically but also politically. It has nurtured countless scholars, and its status as a hub of culture and learning is no exaggeration. Even later, during the late Qing Dynasty, when railways were being built, three railways were deliberately rerouted around Jiangxi to prevent its rapid economic development from threatening the Qing Dynasty's rule.

As the saying goes, having too many lice makes you feel less itchy.

The situation was similar in the Qing Dynasty today. There were too many rebels, each one bigger and more difficult to control than the last. In fact, the movements of the Han army were not as big as those of the White Lotus Rebellion.

However, having killed a governor on the battlefield and subsequently wiped out more than 100,000 Qing troops, Qianlong could no longer pretend not to see it.

The Old Summer Palace.

"Heshen, what do you think?" Emperor Qianlong asked, putting down the memorial.

Heshen was also very troubled when he heard this. He was only promoted to the position of Chief Minister of the Grand Council at the end of August. It was only because the former Chief Minister Agui died that Qianlong brought him up to fill the vacancy.

Contrary to later historical accounts, there are no records of Emperor Qianlong suffering from dementia or slurred speech in his later years, nor is there any evidence of Heshen monopolizing power by acting as Qianlong's mouthpiece.

The reason there are so many similar historical accounts is that many people are trying to cover up Qianlong's mistakes. It is said that Qianlong was senile and was deceived by Heshen, which led to the country's corruption and turmoil.

Wan Fang is guilty, but the real culprit is He Shen!

Emperor Qianlong was still a perfect old man. He had his faults, but he also suffered from dementia and was no longer in control of his own life.

Heshen pondered for a moment before kneeling on the ground, bowing his head, and saying, "Your Majesty, this servant believes that the Han traitors in Huguang are too powerful and have reached the point where they must be suppressed."

"Hmm." Qianlong nodded slightly without speaking. Heshen understood and continued, "But suppressing the bandits is not an easy task. The bandits in Huguang were able to defeat the imperial army of tens of thousands. Even if there was some luck involved and the local Green Standard Army's fighting strength was deteriorating, we cannot continue to take them lightly."

"What should we do?" Emperor Qianlong asked.

Heshen said, “The Han traitors have already lost one of the court’s governors-general, so they certainly cannot be let off the hook. But even if the court quickly sends another governor-general, it still won’t solve the urgent problem in Huguang. If we want to quell the traitors, we must first train a new army. The Green Standard Army of the Han people in those areas is already corrupt and useless. This matter has been mentioned in the memorials of the governors-general of Shaanxi and Gansu, the governor-general of Huguang, the governor-general of Yunnan and Guizhou, and the governor-general of Guangdong and Guangxi.”

Emperor Qianlong nodded: "Indeed, we need to train the new army. Just then, that dog of a servant, Yimian, handed over a memorial on suppressing bandits, which is about the scorched earth method and the militia training method in the fortified villages. You can take a look at it too!"

Having said that, he threw down a memorial to the throne. Heshen crawled on his knees to pick it up, and before he could even flip through a few pages, he discovered the problem.

No wonder His Majesty called Yi Mian that dog servant. It turns out the dog was here. Yi Mian is stupid enough, but he actually dared to hand over a memorial to His Majesty.

Heshen barely needed to organize his thoughts before kneeling down and saying, "This servant believes it is absolutely unacceptable."

"Why not?" Qianlong asked.

Heshen replied, "Suppressing bandits is the responsibility of the court and the government; it's not the common people's place to worry about it. The scorched-earth policy is feasible, but the militia system in the fortified villages is absolutely unacceptable. If even suppressing bandits requires the common people's concern and effort, where is the dignity of the Qing Dynasty? And where is Your Majesty's martial prowess?"

These words gave Emperor Qianlong a legitimate reason to refute them. He was indeed anxious about the White Lotus Rebellion and the Han Army, but these anxieties were also about the Han people daring to launch a large-scale anti-Qing uprising.

Now, in order to suppress the bandits, the Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu, Yi Mian, actually proposed the establishment of fortified villages and local militias, demanding that Han landlords be allowed to build fortified villages and organize local militias to resist the White Lotus Rebellion's bandit army.

This method wasn't bad; it was so good that the Qing court had no use for it. They could simply rely on these Han Chinese strongholds and local militias to trap and kill the White Lotus Sect.

What should our Great Qing Dynasty do then?
The militia system in the fortified villages seemed to be able to help the Qing Dynasty deal with the White Lotus Rebellion, but it was also a drastic measure. Overuse could only solve the immediate problem and would leave deeper and more serious consequences.

Han Chinese landlords gained real power, making it difficult for the Manchu nobles to control the local areas. As a result, the Qing government was unable to collect taxes and levies, becoming increasingly weak. When local rebellions broke out again, they became even more difficult to control, forcing the government to rely more and more on Han Chinese landlords to resolve the issues.

This is a vicious cycle!
Emperor Qianlong may not have considered so many things, but he was always very wary of the possibility of Han people gaining power.

Emperor Qianlong said in a deep voice, "That's well said. Suppressing bandits is the government's business. What does it have to do with the common people? Let's reject this memorial! Tell Yi Mian not to make such outrageous remarks again. As for the scorched earth policy mentioned in the memorial, since it's usable, let's try it out for now."

"The slave obeys the order."

Heshen immediately knelt down to accept the written record.

Emperor Qianlong then asked, "So, how should we proceed with the training of the new army?"

Heshen had clearly thought it through and said, "Many previous reports on the Han traitors have mentioned that the reason why the Han traitors are so powerful and difficult to control is ultimately due to the sharpness of their firearms, which far surpasses that of our Qing's ordinary local Green Standard Army. Therefore, if we want to train a new army, we must emphasize the advantage of firearms. Otherwise, even if we go to the battlefield, our firearms will not be as good as the Han traitors', and we will probably not be able to gain an advantage."

Emperor Qianlong shook his head: "Forging firearms is no easy task! Where will the silver come from? Where will the time come from?"

Heshen smiled and said, “Your Majesty, it is indeed not easy to manufacture firearms, but we do not necessarily need to manufacture them ourselves. The English happen to be trading with our Great Qing, and I have heard that their firearms are quite formidable. We can send someone to contact them and purchase firearms from them.”

"In this way, we can save time in manufacturing firearms, demonstrate the friendly trade relations between our Great Qing and England, and make the English people grateful to our Great Qing."

Okay! It's all bullshit.

Emperor Qianlong chuckled, "Hehe, you dog of a servant, it's not that you want the British to be grateful, but you probably really want to profit from it."

Heshen fawned, "How dare this servant! Even if this servant were to profit from it, it would be for His Majesty's benefit. Besides, England is just a small overseas country. His Majesty's opening of Guangzhou to trade with them is already a great favor. How could they not be grateful!"

Emperor Qianlong was quite pleased with the flattery and didn't dwell on Heshen's petty thoughts. He waved his hand and said, "In that case, I'll leave this matter to you, Heshen."

Emperor Qianlong then asked, "What should be done with the Han traitors in Huguang? Should a new Governor-General of Huguang be appointed?"

Heshen thought for a moment and said, "The Han bandits in Huguang are indeed powerful and difficult to control now; they cannot be quelled overnight. Your Majesty could send a governor-general to hold down the current territory, and at the same time send envoys across the river to invite the Han bandits to negotiate peace..."

"Ok?"

Before he could finish speaking, Emperor Qianlong's old face showed a hint of anger, which startled Heshen so much that he immediately prostrated himself on the ground, barely daring to breathe, and hurriedly said, "The peace talks are a pretense; the real purpose is to appease the Han traitors. Bandits such as the White Lotus Sect have all achieved great victories and then rampaged and expanded, but these Han traitors have been very restrained. They have not marched straight into Xiangyang to attack, but instead have carefully managed the surrounding prefectures. Clearly, their ambitions are not small."

"Therefore, we can negotiate peace first. Whatever rewards the Han traitors want, we can give them. Even granting them land and titles of kings is acceptable. We can also take this opportunity to win over and divide the Han traitors' followers, promising them high-ranking positions and generous salaries if they defect and surrender."

"Once the unrest in Sichuan, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangdong is quelled, the armies of several provinces will join forces to encircle and destroy Hubei and Hunan, even if it turns them into wasteland, we will still annihilate the Han traitors!"

(End of this chapter)