There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 262 Kill all the Wang Xuehao?
Nie Yu has been very merciful. As the King of Han, although his territory is still small, the real power he holds is astonishing.

The founding emperor, the King of Han, who rose from the ashes on horseback, distributed land, reduced taxes, and pacified the people, establishing township-level administrative institutions and further extending the reach of his power into the countryside.

It can be said that even Emperor Zhangzong, who was confident in his power and could make decisions arbitrarily, could not compare to Nie Yu in terms of actual power.

With the power of life and death in their hands, and no one in the cabinet, both civil and military, able to control them, and with the people's hearts and minds attached to them, they could easily spiral out of control!
Nie Yu had already exercised considerable restraint, refraining from widespread killing or inflicting heavy penalties. He only arrested five ringleaders and confiscated their three clans, not even their nine clans.

The five instigators, along with all three clans, totaled less than a thousand people, which is already a small number.

All the civil officials of the Han Dynasty praised the King of Han for his benevolence and virtue!

As the inspectors dispatched by the Ministry of Justice went around arresting people, the usually bustling streets and alleys of Jingzhou City were unusually quiet for two days.

Hundreds of hardened criminals were arrested and sent to the Ministry of Justice prison. The scene was not spectacular, but it was certainly rare to see in Jingzhou City.

The teahouses lining both sides of the street have been packed with customers these past two days, all of them scholars chatting and watching the excitement.

"The King of Han is serious this time. The city defense patrols have already arrested over a thousand people. I wonder what will happen to them?"

"What can be done? At most, the emperor's wrath will cause millions to die!"

"That's not necessarily true. If the Prince of Han really wanted to kill someone, he wouldn't have made such a big fuss, much less convened a debate on the classics next month."

"That is not true. Who is the King of Han? He is a wise and powerful ruler comparable to the founding emperors of all dynasties. And what founding emperor would not have been strict in enforcing the law?"

As these people were chatting, someone suddenly rushed up, carrying a newly issued official report.

"Ha...ha...everyone, good news...good news..."

The messenger, panting heavily, took the cup of tea offered by his friend to moisten his throat before speaking with a broad smile: "The King of Han has issued a new decree that a debate on the classics will be held next month. Fifty-one scholars who have come to the capital to petition will be allowed to select one person as a member of the debate team to participate in the debate on the new provisions of the 'Admonitions for Women' and the 'New Laws of the Great Han Dynasty'."

Everyone was surprised when these words were spoken.

Someone simply stood up, stepped forward, and took the brand-new official gazette. The gazette was still warm, clearly having just been printed not long ago. It was truly a wonder that the messenger had managed to snag a copy.

A quick glance revealed the new edict from the King of Han. It was brief, consisting of only two sentences: a debate on the classics would be held on the fifteenth of next month, and students who had come to the capital to petition would also have a chance to participate.

"Great news! It really is great news!"

Hearing this, others also got up and joined in, and so a dozen or so people squeezed together at one table to read the same official gazette.

"Haha, this is truly wonderful news!"

"The King of Han is indeed wise; he did not completely side with those women."

"Yes, knocking on the gate is still wrong, but the King of Han is wise. Not only did he not blame the students who knocked on the gate, he also gave them a spot to debate the classics."

"If that's the case, then can we also participate in the debate?"

"That probably won't work. Unless we can also obtain the King of Han's favor, we'll need renowned scholars and Confucian masters to endorse and recommend us if we want to participate in the debate..."

Distinguished teachers and great scholars are hard to find; there are very few in the entire Hubei and Hunan region.

Moreover, these renowned scholars and Confucian masters were already on the invitation list of the Han government and were currently busy on their way to Jingzhou by boat, preparing for a debate that would be famous throughout history, as judged by the King of Han. They had no time to endorse or recommend these insignificant figures.

Indeed, it was a name that would be etched in history. Every renowned scholar from the region invited by the Han government readily agreed upon hearing that the trip was to Jingzhou to debate new precedents of the "Admonitions for Women." Some even hired boatmen themselves to go ahead, not waiting for the government's special ship, just to get there faster.

"Admonitions for Women" discusses women's virtues, but it touches upon the ancients' understanding of the proper relationship between men and women.

If the new rules of "Admonitions for Women" established by Nie Yu were truly followed, women would also be allowed to appear in public without having to worry about the separation of men and women. Women would be encouraged to go out and earn money for their families, and they could remarry after their husbands died, without having to be too insistent on remaining chaste.

If all these principles are implemented, will the husband-wife authority still be valid? If the husband-wife authority is no longer tenable, what about the father-son authority and the ruler-subject authority?
If the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues collapse all at once, what will happen to the Five Constant Virtues?
Without the constraints of traditional ethics and morality, such as the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues, will people start to have wild thoughts?
If the people start having wild thoughts, wouldn't the world fall into chaos?
These renowned scholars from the Huguang region had already decided that they would fiercely refute the new provisions of the "Admonitions for Women" in their debates. This would not only set things right and make women obediently stay home to support their husbands and raise their children, but also gain them fame and enhance the influence of their school of thought, thus ensuring their place in history.

This is a major debate involving the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues. Regardless of who wins in the end, it will surely be recorded in history.

On the Yuan River, an ordinary civilian boat.

The young scholar asked in bewilderment, "Sir, this is just a debate on the classics organized by the King of Han. Its purpose is merely to divert attention. We haven't received an invitation from the government, so why should we go to Jingzhou?"

The middle-aged man chuckled: "Hehe, it's true we weren't invited, but who says we can't participate in the debate without an invitation? Although this debate is a diversionary tactic by the King of Han, the arguments presented will surely be recorded in history. How could we scholars not go and join in the fun of such a grand event?"

The young scholar was somewhat puzzled: "Just to join in the fun?"
"Of course not." The middle-aged man shook his head, pointed to the river and said, "Do you think those so-called great Confucian scholars were willing to go to Jingzhou to debate the classics just for the sake of righteousness? We can all see that the King of Han is diverting attention. They are not stupid, how could they not see it? But what can they do even if they see it? They can't fight city hall. They might as well take advantage of this debate to promote their own knowledge."

"A fraud!" the young scholar frowned.

The middle-aged man laughed, "So what if I deceive the world and steal a reputation? As long as I can promote my school of thought and leave my mark on history, others would love to have such an opportunity but can't!" "..."

……

September of the first year of Xinghua (the third year of Jiaqing).

It was the last month of autumn this year when the Han army in Hunan finally set out.

Chen Younian personally led 8,000 Han soldiers and more than 8,000 civilian laborers, totaling 16,000 troops. He also brought countless provisions and supplies, as well as many officials and town heads who were assigned to the army.

The mighty procession marched eastward along Chaling County, crossed the Luoxiao Mountains, and went straight into the territory of Ji'an Prefecture in Jiangxi Province.

West of Ji'an Prefecture lies Lianhua Hall City, directly opposite Chaling County.

The bandit general guarding the city here is named Liu Qi, and he is also an old thief who killed all of Wang Zhu Wu's men.

Upon seeing the familiar Chinese character flag outside the city, Liu Qi was so frightened that his legs almost gave way and he collapsed to his knees.

Although King Shajin had already sent him a message saying that the Great Han had allied with them and that he only needed to cooperate with the Great Han army to hand over Lotus Hall City, Liu Qi still felt uneasy.

It's not that he's bluffing; he said the same thing last time he killed the King, but he was then routed by the Han army and nearly died in Chaling Prefecture.

They finally escaped to Jiangxi, where, although they were unfamiliar with the area, at least the Han army was no longer there. But now, the Han army is actually chasing after them again.

Outside the city, Chen Younian had no idea what Liu Qi was thinking. He looked at Lotus Hall City and beckoned a soldier to step forward and shout, "My general is General Chen Younian of the Third Division of the Great Han Heavenly Army. Quickly open the city gates and hand over the city defenses!"

The call was made only once, and there was no response from the city wall. The soldiers were about to raise the megaphones and make the call twice more as usual.

If there is no response after three calls, the Han army will not hesitate to launch an attack on the city.

The Han army had a plan for this, and as a defeated general of the Han Dynasty, King Shajin was not qualified to gain the trust of the Han.

If King Shajin is sensible and willing to hand over the city, then everything will be fine. But if he tries to make trouble or haggle, then the Han army will launch a strong attack to seize the city.

The Han army mobilized 16,000 troops, along with countless grain supplies, land officials, and town chiefs accompanying the army. Of course, they could not simply turn back just because the king had changed his mind at the last minute.

From the moment the King of Ji'an was killed and all the Han troops were contacted, the situation was one of having no choice but to give up on the prefecture, whether they wanted to or not!

Fortunately, the bad situation in the contingency plan did not occur. Liu Qi hesitated only slightly before decisively opening the gates and surrendering the city.

Because we really can't beat them!
The Han army sent 16,000 troops. Although half of them were civilian laborers, the other half were not someone Liu Qi could defeat.

Liu Qi opened the city gates and, without even holding a basic handover ceremony, led his men away at lightning speed.

Chen Younian was speechless: "This thief general runs pretty fast. We really thought he would dare to defend the city!"

Before coming to Jiangxi, the king had secretly telegraphed him, instructing him to be wary of the King of Killing All, and that if the other party really used trickery, he could send troops to kill people.

As a result, the other party did not dare to use any tricks, and did not even dare to bargain for the city. Lotus Hall City was given away for nothing, and they did not even dare to take the money, food and goods in the city.

The Han army was truly terrifying; the way each Han soldier looked at Liu Qi was as if he were a moving head.

Liu Qi was terrified that if he walked too slowly, the Han army would change their minds and chop off his head.

Chen Younian quickly took control of Lianhua Hall City without any hindrance. He then sent troops to cooperate with the land distribution officials and town officials who came with the army to go to the countryside to help them distribute land and pacify the people.

Ji'an Prefecture had been occupied by the King of Killing All the Kings for a year. As the earliest base, Lianhua Hall City, the people here could basically understand the Hunan dialect, so there was no language barrier.

The officials in charge of land distribution and town administration who came from the Han army were greatly surprised after only two days of inspection and exploration in the countryside.

They had thought that coming to Ji'an Prefecture would be a difficult task, because Chaling County had been ruined by the killing of the king, resulting in a desolate and barren land. A once prosperous prefecture had been forced to be downgraded to a county.

But now, the livelihood of the people in Lotus Hall has not been affected at all. On the contrary, the people are very enthusiastic about cultivating the land. Many lands do not even need to be divided. Apart from not having land deeds and having to continue to pay taxes, the people are no different from those who cultivate their own land. The only difference is that the tax rate is relatively high, much higher than that of the Han Dynasty, but lower than that of the pseudo-Qing Dynasty.

The towns and villages of Lianhua Hall initially did not realize that the King had fled after killing everyone. They thought the Han army was government troops who had come to ruin their good life and wanted to gather people to defend their homes.

Fortunately, the land allocation official stepped in to explain, which resolved the misunderstanding.

The Han army's land distribution official was astonished and uncertain. Had this King of Slaughter suddenly become righteous?

(End of this chapter)