There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 236 Undercurrent
"Boom boom boom!"

The Han army's artillery positions continued to bombard the walls of Jiujiang.

Under the cover of artillery fire, two instructors from the labor camp carried sandbags meant for filling the moat onto their own backs in front of a large number of laborers.

One of the instructors shouted, "Fellow countrymen, follow us in a bit. During the lulls in the cannons, throw the sandbags you're wearing into the moat and come back. Don't be afraid, the cannons won't hit you."

The laborers looked at each other, bewildered. Although they had never worked as siege laborers before, they had served countless corvée labor services. The officials wouldn't work alongside them; they were lucky if they didn't whip them or deduct their rations.

But now these Han army instructors are treating them like human beings, not as cannon fodder or waste, and they even have to go with them to fill in the moat.

"We will all listen to what the general says."

"Quickly, everyone put on your sandbags, so the two military officers don't laugh at us."

"Sir, please don't rush ahead. Let us go first!"

"Yes, gentlemen, you should walk behind us."

"..."

Two instructors personally carried sandbags and led the laborers of the civilian labor camp to fill in the moat.

Moreover, it wasn't a one-time event. The laborers took turns carrying sandbags to fill the river, and after they finished, they would come back and be replaced by the next batch of laborers.

The instructors also worked in pairs, always at the forefront as the laborers filled the river. Regardless of how many sandbags they could carry, it was truly inspiring. Encouraged by the instructors, the laborers were all in high spirits and worked exceptionally hard at filling the river.

By the end of the day, several sections of the Jiujiang moat had been filled in.

It should be noted that, unlike Jiujiang in later times, the southern section of the city wall of the present-day Jiujiang Prefecture did not yet have the vast Luzhou West Lake as a natural moat.

On the city tower of Jiujiang.

Fu Hongchang's face was grim. He had thought that even if he couldn't hold Jiujiang in the end, he could at least hold it for ten days or half a month.

But now, it's only the second day. If we're talking about a siege, it's less than a day in total, and the moat is almost filled in.

How can we continue fighting like this?
"Your Excellency!" The advisor who had been sent to the city to recruit soldiers and raise funds suddenly returned.

Fu Hongchang forcibly suppressed his doubts and asked, "How is the recruitment of soldiers in the city going?"

The clerk cupped his hands and replied, "I have relayed your message, sir. Most of the wealthy families in the city are willing to contribute money and manpower, but the Wang and Ma families are not very cooperative."

Fu Hongchang said calmly, "These two families must be colluding with the Han traitors, preparing to surrender the city and rebel in a coordinated attack from within and without."

Before he could finish speaking, the clerk understood and quickly said, "This student will take care of it right away."

“No,” Fu Hongchang shook his head and said, “I will handle this matter personally. You will come with me to take stock of the Wang and Ma families in the yamen. Let’s make our move tonight! Otherwise, if we delay any longer, these two families will eventually surrender the city and rebel.”

On this side of the city gate, Prefect Fu Hongchang and his advisor had just decided to make an example of someone tonight.

Meanwhile, several prominent families and gentry in the city were secretly making arrangements.

"Master Huang came to my house today to ask for grain." A middle-aged gentry said with a helpless expression, "Giving money and grain is not a problem. There are Han traitors outside the city and the government inside. It's just a matter of spending money to avoid trouble. The key is that the government wants my Liu family to send men to fight, and they want our family's soldiers. Isn't this pushing us to the brink of despair?"

"I'm going to drive you and me to our doom!"

Another older gentryman sneered: "Our Prefect Fu's methods are rather crude. He expects us to pay for the food and supplies, and for our families to defend the city. If the city can be defended, the credit will go to our Prefect Fu. If he can't, then we'll be forced to fight the Han traitors and become mortal enemies!"

Another gentry head's expression changed drastically: "Isn't this a dead end? We're all law-abiding citizens, we don't think we've offended this Prefect Fu!"

The middle-aged gentry shook his head and said, "We haven't offended him, but the Han traitors have come, and they want to attack Jiujiang. The garrison in Jiujiang has been transferred away by the governor. Anyone with eyes can see that Jiujiang is no match for the Han traitors' attack. Our prefect is afraid we'll surrender the city, so didn't he say he was going to Nanchang to ask the governor for reinforcements?"

“If that’s the case, why don’t we just surrender the city?” a gentryman suddenly suggested.

Before he could finish speaking, an older gentryman retorted, "If we surrender the city now, what if the Han traitors fail to take Jiujiang, and the governor suddenly sends troops back to Jiujiang?"

This concern is not unfounded, as Jiujiang is strategically located at a crossroads of the Yangtze River. The worst-case scenario is that the governor might lead his troops back, and the Han rebels outside the city have failed to capture Jiujiang.

Another gentry member added, “It’s easy to surrender and surrender a city, but if you do, you’ll lose everything. Our land and property will be distributed to our former tenants by the Han traitors.”

"This land will be divided sooner or later anyway," the gentry said again. "Why not take advantage of this opportunity and use these few acres of poor land to exchange for future wealth and prosperity that will last as long as the nation? Wouldn't that be better?"

The gentryman shook his head: "Sharing the fate of the nation is too far-fetched. Not to mention whether we can capture Jiujiang, I've heard that the Han traitors will hold public trials for the most wicked landlords. These public trials involve having your former tenant farmers watch and recount your crimes. If the crimes are too serious, you could even be beheaded."

Now the gentry who had previously spoken of surrendering fell silent, because he thought that all the gentry who had come to secretly meet and collude were idiots.

The gentry and wealthy families of Jiujiang secretly conspired and argued for a long time, but they couldn't come to a conclusion.

The greed and weakness of the gentry class were on full display at this moment. They dared not surrender until the very last moment, because surrendering would mean handing over their land. But if they did not surrender, they would have to send men to fight for the government.

Sending men to fight would offend the Han traitors; not sending men to fight would offend the government.

Why is it that the government won't let the people serve as soldiers to defend the city? There are so many people in Jiujiang City. If they gathered together a group of able-bodied men, they could easily crush the Han army outside!
The gentry's attempt to unite failed, and they could only disperse and go home.

As soon as Shen Hongwen returned home, the old steward of the Shen family came up to him: "Young Master, the Master wants you to go to the study to see him after you return."

"Steward Shen, I'll go right away." Shen Hongwen didn't even bother to change his clothes before rushing to the study.

Mr. Shen cut to the chase and asked, "How did it go?"

Shen Hongwen knew what his father was asking: "These young men are not worth discussing things with. They are all weak and cowardly, only concerned with their few acres of land, and have never thought about anything more far ahead."

Mr. Shen then asked, "So what are your thoughts?"

Shen Hongwen said, "If we can't defend Jiujiang, we must find an opportunity to join the rebels. Otherwise, if we follow the prefect down this dark path, my Shen family will surely perish without a burial place."

Father Shen stroked his beard, seemingly struggling and hesitating, before finally saying after a long while, "You've grown up now, and I can't advise you on everything. This time, I'll leave it to you to handle properly."

With his father's support, Shen Hongwen instantly shook off his gloom and depression: "I will definitely lead my Shen family to achieve great things in this chaotic world!"

(I'm sleepy, I'll go to sleep now and continue tonight)
(End of this chapter)