There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 219 Going South
The first year of Xinghua, at the end of the second month.

Historical records state that auspicious clouds descended upon Jingzhou Prefecture, accompanied by extraordinary radiance, and a fiery dragon appeared, snatching a pearl and swallowing the North Star. That night, the northern imperial star dimmed, while a crimson nebula appeared in the south, resembling a dragon and tiger converging…

Alright! In plain terms, Nie Yu's first son, who is also the legitimate prince of the Han Dynasty, was finally born last night.

Throughout the vast land of Huguang, officials and common people rejoiced. The King of Han finally had an heir, and a legitimate eldest prince at that, making the foundation of the Han Dynasty even more solid.

Of course, while countless gentry were overjoyed, they also secretly cursed the King of Han to fall ill and die soon.

In this way, the young emperor ascended the throne, and they no longer had to suffer under the King of Han.

Unfortunately, the King of Han was in good health and even possessed superhuman strength. It wouldn't have been a problem for him to fall ill and die early, or even live for another seventy or eighty years.

In any case, the Shangsi Festival on the third day of the third lunar month has just passed.

Nie Yu did not stay with his son any longer, but quickly returned to work.

"Which branch of the White Lotus Sect do you belong to?" Nie Yu asked.

The envoy from the Henan White Lotus Sect, who had just arrived in Jingzhou City the day before yesterday, replied: "My sect leader, the Heavenly King, is not from any branch of the White Lotus Sect, but rather all the White Lotus Sect members in the world are his disciples and grand-disciples."

Wow, what a boastful tone!
Nie Yu laughed and said, "Who is your Heavenly King? I used to be a member of the White Lotus Sect, so I might even know him?"

The messenger was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly said, "Reporting to the Prince of Han, my master, the Heavenly King, is none other than Liu Zhixie, the head of the White Lotus Sect in Henan. May I ask which branch of the White Lotus Sect the Prince of Han previously joined?"

So it was Liu Zhixie. Speaking of this guy, Nie Yu actually knew him; his name had at least been omitted from the historical records. First, he launched a rebellion that failed, then he was betrayed and arrested. On the way to the capital, he bribed the officials and managed to escape.

As a result, no sooner had Liu Zhixie fled than the White Lotus Rebellion broke out in Sichuan, Hubei, and Shaanxi, and they even remotely honored Li Quan'er (Liu Zhixie's alias) as Heavenly King.

The White Lotus sects of Sichuan, Hubei, and Shaanxi can all be considered disciples and grand-disciples of Liu Zhixie. They spread and expanded through the Henan White Lotus sect. Even Wang Cong'er's deceased husband, Qi Lin, can be considered a grand-disciple of Liu Zhixie (a disciple of Song Zhiqing, a disciple of Liu Zhixie).

That's all there is to it. There is no hierarchical relationship between the White Lotus Sect in Sichuan, Hubei, and Shaanxi and Liu Zhixie. The messenger's claim that all the White Lotus Sect members in the world are Liu Zhixie's disciples and grand-disciples is really just that.

They didn't listen to Liu Zhixie at all, and Zhang Zhengmo even went so far as to declare himself Heavenly King.

Nie Yu knew the truth, but he didn't show it. He continued to laugh and said, "So it's Heavenly King Liu. May I ask what brings the Heavenly King to our Great Han?"

The messenger, completely oblivious to the distance in Nie Yu's words, said, "My patriarch, the Heavenly King, sent me here to join forces with the Prince of Han in making an oath. Now that the Qing forces are powerful, our anti-Qing righteous armies must unite to fight against them, drive out the Tartars, and establish the vacuum homeland that all people yearn for..."

"Stop," Nie Yu said, raising his hand before the messenger could finish speaking. "I have no interest in your so-called 'vacuum homeland' nonsense. Your Heavenly King wants to swear an oath with me, but is this oath only between our two families or something?"

The messenger was taken aback, somewhat confused. Hadn't they agreed that they were all from the White Lotus Sect? Why were they no longer interested in the Vacuum Homeland?

However, the messenger didn't remain stunned for long. He continued, "The oath is naturally not just between our two families. My sect leader, the Heavenly King, said that in addition to the Han King, he will also form an alliance with the White Lotus sects in Shaanxi and Sichuan. At that time, the four White Lotus sects of Sichuan, Shaanxi, Han, and Henan will join forces and surely be able to wipe out the Qing demons, restore the world, and rebuild our homeland of Zhenkong!"

Nie Yu's smile faded: "I've said it before, my Han Dynasty is not the White Lotus Sect, and I have no interest in knowing about any 'Vacuum Homeland'."

thump!
Although his tone didn't indicate anger, the change in his expression and the obvious glances from the Han soldiers guarding him instantly terrified the messenger, causing him to kneel on the ground.

Nie Yu then smiled again: "As for your King Liu's intention to form an alliance, let me say that my Great Han agrees. If you need any salt or weapons, you can come to my Great Han to purchase them. My Great Han will also not take the initiative to attack Henan."

The messenger, kneeling on the ground, was utterly bewildered. What was going on? He had just been angry, so how had he suddenly completed his mission? The reason was simple: the Han Dynasty needed Liu Zhixie as its northern bulwark. Although Xiangfan was hailed as a vital strategic location, it was ultimately just a city. If the Qing army were to launch a major southward offensive from the north, Xiangfan alone certainly wouldn't be enough to stop them.

However, the situation was different when Liu Zhixie's White Lotus Rebellion in Henan was added to the mix. The Central Plains were flat and open, a battleground on all sides, and rebelling there was practically tantamount to suicide. Liu Zhixie's uprising in Henan was doomed to fail, but it could draw the attention of most of the Qing army's forces.

Because the Central Plains is the heart of the world, whoever controls the Central Plains may not necessarily control the world, but whoever controls the world will definitely control the Central Plains. If this place suffers too much damage from the White Lotus Rebellion, the loss will be too great. The Qing court will not let Liu Zhixie go. They must first eliminate Liu Zhixie before they can continue to march south from the Central Plains to fight the Han Dynasty.

Liu Zhixie sent an envoy to form an alliance, and Nie Yu welcomed him!

Even if Liu Zhixie doesn't come, Nie Yu will have to find a way to send envoys to Henan to make contact and see if the two sides can form an alliance against the Qing.

Anyway, Liu Zhixie is bound to be killed, so before he is killed, let him willingly contribute to the cause of the Han Dynasty's anti-Qing cause until his death!

The messenger left in gratitude, and the burly man treated him to a good meal before sending him back to Henan by boat.

Two days later, the Army Commander-in-Chief's Office had already formulated the next strategic plan.

The Northern Route Army split into two routes: one continued westward to attack Yunyang Prefecture, while the Western Route Army waited for an opportunity to cooperate.

Another force will advance eastward to capture De'an Prefecture. The eastern army can deploy troops as needed.

The people of Yunyang Prefecture are known for their fierce and valiant nature. If the Han army takes this place, it can not only obtain high-quality soldiers, but also completely block the entry of the White Lotus Rebellion from Sichuan and Shaanxi and the Qing army into Chu.

De'an Prefecture holds a strategically important position, serving as a crucial gateway between Wuchang and Xiangyang, connecting the north and south, and linking the east and west. Taking Wuchang and Xiangyang necessitates capturing De'an; otherwise, the northern defense line of the Han Dynasty will be unstable.

Nie Yu approved the Grand Commander's battle plan and also pre-approved the budget for troop recruitment and shipbuilding for the second half of the year to the Grand Commander's Navy.

There's no other way; there are no shortcuts for developing a navy in the early stages. You can only rely on spending money to train your navy.

The Han Dynasty's advantage lay primarily in the abundance of mountains and forests in Huguang, with rich resources such as nanmu, camphor, and cedar trees, allowing them to organize the people and laborers to cut timber and build ships. In addition, many of the people in Huguang were fishermen skilled in swimming, which also enabled them to recruit and train a large-scale navy.

He repeatedly instructed the Naval Grand Admiralty not to worry about anything else, but to focus on training soldiers and building ships to create a large fleet. He told them not to worry about money.

……

mid March.

Having resolved these domestic and military affairs, Nie Yu bid farewell to the Queen and Princess, and then boarded a warship heading south. He was going to personally appease the Miao, Yao, and Dong people in Hunan.

The Miao people in western Hunan were relatively honest. Shi Liudeng was genuinely sincere in his desire to submit to the Han army and lead the Miao people to a peaceful life.

However, Shi Liudeng was not the Miao King of Xiangxi. The nominal Miao King of Xiangxi was Wu Tingyi, who was also the son of the former Miao King Wu Bayue.

Shi Nie Mei, another female leader of the Miao tribe in western Hunan, also harbored hostility towards the Han Dynasty and would expel any officials sent by the Han. If it weren't for Shi Liu Deng's mediation, she would probably have clashed with the Han army long ago.

These matters all require Nie Yu, the King of Han, to resolve personally. He also needs to come and negotiate with the Yao people of Pingdi in Yongzhou and the Huayao people of Baoqing.

(End of this chapter)