There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 279 Sending Troops to Anhui
Anqing.

Zhu Gui, the governor of Anhui, who was usually very composed, was pacing back and forth in the main hall of the government office with his hands behind his back.

Below the hall, officials were already lined up in two rows. On the left was Chen Yongfu, the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Anhui, and on the right was Enming, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Anhui.

Also present were Yuan Fengsun, the prefect of Anqing, and a host of officials of all ranks from Anqing Prefecture, but he was hardly the one to speak on this occasion.

The Anhui Provincial Education Commissioner, Dai Junyuan, did not come, because the Anhui Provincial Education Commissioner did not work in Anqing Prefecture, but was stationed in Jiangning Prefecture for a long time.

This is a legacy issue from the division of Jiangnan Province during the Kangxi era. Anhui and Jiangsu were once part of the same province a century ago, but after the Qing government forcibly split them into two, for a long time the Anhui Provincial Governor and Education Commissioner still worked in Jiangning Prefecture.

No wonder people always say that the capital of Anhui Province is Nanjing, because it really was Nanjing during the Qing Dynasty. Even for the imperial examinations, according to the system, candidates from each province had to take the exam in the provincial capital first. Only those who passed could receive a pass and go to the capital for the final exam. However, Jiangsu students went to Jiangning to take the exam, and Anhui students also went to Jiangning to take the exam.

This awkward relationship of separation yet lingering connection remained unchanged until the later years of Jiaqing's personal rule. This was because the White Lotus Rebellion had spread too widely, forcing Jiaqing to take measures to strengthen local power in provinces like Anhui and Hunan, even establishing the Hunan and Anhui Provincial Governors to ensure the military and political independence of these two provinces.

However, none of this is currently the case. Jiangsu and Anhui provinces still only have one Jiangnan Admiral who is in charge of the military affairs of both provinces.

Zhu Gui, his face filled with anxiety, waited for a long time before a messenger finally arrived with the report: "My lord, General Li (Changgui) has replied, saying..."

"say what?"

Seeing the messenger stammering, Zhu Gui's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly urged him to ask.

The messenger could only reply: "General Li said that Shouchun Town is to assist in the defense of the White Lotus Rebellion on the Henan-Anhui border, and there are no troops available to be transferred, but the Liuan Battalion has already marched south and will arrive in Anqing soon..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Yongfu, the provincial governor of Anhui, angrily cursed, "Is this Li Changgui, this bastard soldier, out of his mind? The Han traitors have already reached Susong, and Anqing Prefecture is in imminent danger. As the garrison commander of Shouchun Town in Anhui, he is still concerned about the White Lotus Rebellion in Henan!"

Chen Yongfu's words showed absolutely no respect for General Li Changgui, and indeed, he had no reason to give him any face.

Although his rank as Provincial Governor was only second-grade, half a grade lower than Li Changgui's rank as General of Shouchun (a second-grade general in the Qing Dynasty), it couldn't be calculated that way in reality. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, civil officials were generally valued more than military officials. A general in the Ming Dynasty might have been worth something, but by the time of the puppet Qing Dynasty, it was completely worthless.

The second-rank general of the pseudo-Qing dynasty was not much higher than the fourth-rank prefect. A garrison general not only had to personally take charge of the battles, but also had to be mindful of the local prefect's mood.

Chen Yongfu's angry rebuke quickly resonated with the officials present.

Enming, the Anhui Provincial Surveillance Commissioner who was a Manchu, couldn't help but nod slightly: "This Li Changgui is really too clueless. The Han traitors have already invaded Susong County. He should immediately lead his troops back to defend Anqing Prefecture."

"What the Provincial Governor and the Provincial Judge say is true! When the Han traitors attack, General Li should immediately return to Anqing to provide reinforcements."

"But the problem now is that General Li is unable to come back to reinforce, and relying on just the Liuan Battalion, I'm afraid it will be difficult to stop the Han traitors."

"Anqing is out of troops, and the Han rebels are coming with overwhelming force. What should we do in this battle?"

"What did the Governor say?"

"..."

The officials whispered among themselves, and as they talked, they all turned their attention to Zhu Gui.

This governor was no ordinary man; he was Emperor Jiaqing's teacher. And now, Emperor Jiaqing is benevolent and filial. Once the retired emperor passes away and the emperor formally assumes power, Governor Zhu will likely have to return to the capital immediately to assist the emperor in restoring order to the country. Zhu Gui took in everyone's reactions.

He was momentarily furious upon hearing Li Changgui's reply, but quickly composed himself. As the governor of Anhui, anyone could panic, but he alone could not.

"Alright, no need for arguing." Zhu Gui looked around, stroked his white beard, and said to the messenger kneeling on the ground, "I will personally write a letter. You must send it to Shouzhou at full speed and deliver it to General Li personally!"

After dismissing the messenger, Zhu Gui continued, "The most urgent matter is not arguing about Shouchun Town. The main force of Shouchun Town is far away on the border of Henan and Anhui. Even if General Li marches south at full speed, it will take at least ten days to half a month to arrive. It's too far to solve our immediate problem. Moreover, we only have one Shouchun Town in Anhui. The Han bandits are coming with such a fierce momentum, their ambitions must be very great."

He paused, then looked at Chen Yongfu and said, "Provincial Governor Chen, I hereby order you to immediately open the Anqing Treasury, take out weapons and armor, and recruit able-bodied men in the city to train them into an army."

Chen Yongfu quickly bowed and stepped forward, saying, "Your humble servant obeys your command."

Zhu Gui nodded, then looked at Enming: "Enming, I hereby order you to represent the governor's office to persuade the gentry and wealthy families of Anqing Prefecture to contribute money and grain to the government and to raise troops to fight against the bandits."

Enming replied, "Your Excellency understands."

After appointing the second and third in command, Zhu Gui then assigned tasks to Yuan Fengsun, the prefect of Anqing, and a group of officials under his jurisdiction.

In short, we absolutely cannot sit idly by and wait to die. If the Han traitors attack, then we must pack up and prepare to meet them.

Anqing is located on the main stream of the Yangtze River, with well-developed water transport and convenient transportation. At its peak, it could account for half of the province's tax revenue, with the other half located in Huizhou. It was precisely because these two prefectures were so powerful that they were separated in the early years of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. The name was derived from the first characters of Anqing and Huizhou. Furthermore, when dividing Jiangnan, it was divided into east and west, rather than north and south.

While dividing the country into north and south aligns with geographical boundaries, the most prosperous areas, Anqing and Huizhou, would merge with the Jiangnan region, shedding the relatively poor north. This would only strengthen the Jiangnan province further.

Therefore, Anqing must not be lost. If Anqing is lost, Anhui will be in danger, and the Jiangnan region will be in peril!
Zhu Gui reacted quickly, sending out a large number of messengers out of the city that very day.

One messenger traveled alone north to deliver a personal letter from Zhu Gui to Li Changgui, the general of Shouchun. The letter contained no flattering words, but simply a request for troops bearing the seal of the governor.

Meanwhile, several messengers were dispatched to various prefectures in Chizhou and Luzhou (Hefei) to deliver the governor's order to recruit soldiers.

Although Zhu Gui, as the governor of Anhui, did not hold the title of military commander and his military power was somewhat restricted, he still had the power to control the province's troops and recruit local militia for training during wartime.

Because he could only control the troops but not freely deploy them, Li Changgui was able to reject Zhu Gui's vague request for help, forcing Zhu Gui to write a letter in his own hand to request troops.

The fall of Susong County not only alarmed Li Fenghan, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, but also sent shockwaves through the entire province of Anhui.

The puppet Qing government unanimously believed that the Han traitors were taking advantage of the vulnerability of Anhui and Jiangsu provinces to launch a surprise attack, and that their intentions were far-reaching and their attack was fierce.

In reality, the Han army force in Susong County numbered only a little over two thousand. They were the vanguard of the Han army, and because they were relatively close to Susong County, they launched a probing attack.

Then, Susong County surrendered on the spot, and the magistrate of Susong County was arrested by the rebellious registrar and clerk, along with the yamen runners.

(So ​​sleepy, going to bed now, will continue tomorrow)

(End of this chapter)