There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 284 The White Lotus Sect in Henan is about to collapse.
Henan, Liuweiju.

"Is this news really true?" The middle-aged shopkeeper looked at the secret report in his hand, somewhat incredulous.

The messenger was also baffled: "Boss, I don't know either! But the messenger said they came from Huizhou."

The shopkeeper frowned upon hearing this. He knew, of course, that the other party was a member of the Huizhou merchants. They were able to open Liuweiju in Henan with the help of these Huizhou merchants.

Otherwise, relying solely on the Han Dynasty's fragile intelligence network, it would be the limit if they could even plant one or two spies in Henan.

But when the snow melts in the spring of the following year, the Qing army will launch a full-scale attack on Ruzhou. Where did the Huizhou merchants get this military intelligence? Or did they have some secret information channels that the Han Dynasty was unaware of?
Huizhou merchants may have had their own network of contacts, but the branches of Huizhou merchants in Henan certainly didn't have that much ability. The fact that they were able to get specific information about the Qing army's deployment was actually related to their original profession.

The Hui merchants were large and powerful, with businesses not limited to salt sales, but also including grain, medicine and other industries.

The Huizhou merchants in Henan were quick to notice that the Qing army was mobilizing and stockpiling grain and supplies, and then they hurriedly went to their cooperating grain merchants to inquire about the information.

After a brief exchange of benefits, these Huizhou merchants who had been hiding in Henan soon learned that the Qing army was preparing to launch a major offensive against the White Lotus Rebellion when the snow melted in the spring of the following year.

Official documents from the imperial court can deceive people, but the allocation of logistical supplies cannot.

Those who can make grain are all shrewd and perceptive; they would be able to see through the Qing army's little tricks.

The middle-aged manager dared not delay and hurriedly went to the back kitchen of Liuweiju, took out the radio, and began to send an urgent telegram to Jingzhou Prefecture.

……

The Prince of Han's Mansion.

"Your Majesty, an urgent, confidential telegram has arrived from Henan," Zuo Guanlan said, holding a translated copy of the telegram.

Nie Yu took it and examined it closely, his expression instantly turning serious: "The White Lotus Sect in Henan is doomed!"

"Summon all cabinet ministers to a meeting immediately."

"Yes."

Soon after, the cabinet members arrived.

After reading the urgent telegram from Henan that Nie Yu had handed over, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

Liu Junxian said, “Your Majesty, the Qing army’s deployment this time will likely be too much for Liu Zhixie, who is entrenched in Ruzhou, to resist. But this is also an opportunity for our Great Han. We can have our spies in Henan inform Liu Zhixie of the Qing army’s deployment in advance, so that he can be prepared and not be quickly annihilated by the Qing army. Meanwhile, our Great Han can take advantage of this opportunity to quickly take over most of Anhui and Jiangxi and advance towards Jiangnan.”

Wang Ruoyu said, "I agree with Liu Yuanfu's suggestion, and we can even go further and provide Liu Zhixie with some military assistance. Including the cannons and muskets that we have captured and discarded, we can send them some so that Liu Zhixie will not be scared away by the Qing army, and will mistakenly believe that our Great Han is still an ally of their White Lotus Sect, so that he will be willing to resist the Qing army in the north of the Central Plains for our Great Han."

Lin Wenchang also said, "Then we must hurry. The White Lotus Sect is different from our Great Han. The White Lotus Sect is nothing but a heretical sect that fools the people and is a mob. Moreover, Henan is in the heart of the Central Plains and is very close to the puppet Qing. If the puppet Qing launches an attack on Henan, then it will inevitably send a large army to press on the border. Even if the White Lotus Sect in Henan is prepared in advance and has the assistance of our Great Han, it is estimated that it will not be able to hold out for long."

Gu Jing continued, "Next spring, we must reinforce Anhui and Jiangxi. We must prioritize taking over northern Jiangxi and southern Anhui. Otherwise, once the Qing army has dealt with Liu Zhixie in Henan, they will definitely concentrate their forces to deal with our Han Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, everyone wholeheartedly agreed.

During the Revolt of the Three Feudatories, the Qing dynasty first defeated the weaker factions, such as Geng Jingzhong, Shang Kexi, Wang Fuchen, and Zheng Jing, one by one before finally attacking the strongest, Wu Sangui.

The Qing dynasty's tactics are clearly similar now. They're saying that since the Han dynasty is difficult to deal with, they'll ignore it for now and deal with the easier White Lotus sect first, then concentrate their forces to slowly fight the Han dynasty.

After pondering for a long time, Nie Yu nodded and said, "The cabinet will draft two decrees for me. The first is to order the Grand General's Office to immediately formulate a strategic plan for northern Jiangxi and southern Anhui next year, and to dispatch the Second Division of the Han Army by boat down the Yangtze River to Anhui."

"The second decree ordered the Ministry of Rites to send several messengers to extend my regards to all the soldiers of the Second Division, in conjunction with the first decree, and to bestow upon them some wine, meat and military pay as a reward."

After saying that, he added: "The peasant associations, land distribution officials, town mayors and county magistrates in all places must do their best in the spring of next year, and must not let the war delay the farming season and cause a reduction in local grain production."

"The ministers obey the order."

A series of imperial decrees were issued, and the cabinet members hurriedly bowed in response.

Fighting immediately after the snow melts in spring would put considerable pressure on both the Han and the puppet Qing forces.

Because warfare is inherently about logistics, and supplies must precede troops, fighting after the snow melts in spring would inevitably require conscripting a large number of laborers. This would in turn disrupt local farming, leading to reduced grain production in the Qing-controlled areas the following year, and even a post-war famine, which was almost a certainty.

The Qing dynasty has gone mad. They are planning to launch a surprise attack on the White Lotus Sect and wipe it out as quickly as possible, even at the cost of countless lives of starvation.

The common people are like leeks; they grow back after being harvested.

The Qing dynasty has gone mad, and the Han army has no choice but to follow suit, otherwise they would have to watch the White Lotus Rebellion in Henan be wiped out. Although they are still prepared to watch the White Lotus Rebellion be wiped out, while the White Lotus Rebellion is at a disadvantage with the Qing army, the Han army can take the opportunity to launch an attack, seize southern Anhui and northern Jiangxi, and open up a passage to advance into Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

War is coming. The imperial examinations on both sides haven't even ended yet, and we're already going to have a major battle.

Although things are troublesome on the Han side, the war still has to be fought. All we can do is try our best to prepare in advance and have the local farmers' association and township officials coordinate well so that the laborers' families don't suffer too much loss due to the lack of labor.

This is also the greatest role of the peasant association. The functions of the peasant association highly overlap with those of the land distribution officials and town mayors, but the collective corvée labor, militia training, and so on in rural areas are all inseparable from the peasant association.

Collective corvée labor was not true corvée labor. The Han Dynasty had abolished taxes and corvée labor. The term "corvée labor" was just a common name. It referred to the repair of public irrigation canals in the villages and the main village roads leading to the official roads.

The government did not pay for the hiring; it was all organized and coordinated by the farmers' association.

The people in the peasant association didn't think there was anything wrong with it. They built irrigation canals and roads for themselves, so why should they ask for wages?
Collective labor and militia training can be solved, so it's perfectly reasonable to help those laborers' families with their farming.

They risked their lives to become laborers, fighting for their land and a better life. They only helped each other out during the off-season, tending to the fields. The farmers' association was in charge of coordinating things, and if anything happened to them in the future, the farmers' association would also help each other. So no one would be unwilling to do so.

After giving instructions and making arrangements for this important matter, Nie Yu then inquired about the special imperial examination. This was the first special imperial examination held by the Great Han Dynasty, and he could not afford to take it lightly.

The imperial examination system was the root of all evil, but it did have its merits, such as its standardized selection of talent, which was also deeply ingrained in people's minds.

Gu Jing hurriedly handed over the prepared memorial: "Currently, the provincial examinations for candidates from the twenty-three prefectures of Hunan and Hubei provinces have all been completed. Only the supplementary examination for the special imperial examination in Wuchang Prefecture has not yet been completed. Although the number of candidates who came to participate in the supplementary examination is not large, it is not small either. Among them, the number of candidates from Ji'an Prefecture is the largest, followed by Jiujiang, and then Nankang. In addition, there are five scholars from Susong County who specially traveled by land three days ago to arrive."

Nie Yu had already anticipated these results, so he wasn't surprised when he heard them: "Let's proceed as planned! The candidates from Jiangxi and Anhui who are taking the make-up exams can be given lenient treatment as appropriate."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Gu Jing quickly cupped his hands, feeling inwardly that the five candidates from Susong were truly lucky.

Since the end of the year is approaching, the Han Dynasty still only has Susong County in Anhui. Even if they send troops to take Anqing Prefecture immediately, the scholars of Anqing Prefecture may not be able to arrive in time.

The King of Han specifically instructed him to be lenient with candidates from Anhui and Jiangxi provinces.

What does "discretionary leniency" mean?

Even if you do terribly on the exam, you must still admit at least one person.

Wow, with five candidates from Susong County, they're bound to produce a Juren (successful candidate in the provincial examination), and they might even have a chance to produce a Jinshi (successful candidate in the imperial examination).

Gu Jing knew why the King of Han issued this imperial edict. This was the first special imperial examination in the Han Dynasty, and its political significance far outweighed the selection of candidates.

Therefore, the number of students from all provinces must be average; it cannot be said that all students from Hubei and Hunan provinces are on the list while none from other provinces like Jiangxi and Anhui are.

Gu Jing didn't forget to report, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Rites has already obtained the results regarding the investigation of Deng Xianhe from Chu Nan, whom you ordered to be screened. He is a candidate for the special imperial examination, from Xinhua County, Baoqing Prefecture, and is twenty-two years old this year. His trip to Jingzhou to participate in the debate should also be part of his journey to take the imperial examination."

Nie Yu laughed and said, "It seems he really is a talented person. Regardless of whether he fails the imperial examination or not, let him work for me for now!"

Under the rule of the Han Dynasty, the King of Han is the most powerful.

Although Deng Xianhe had not yet participated in the provincial examination, his passing the provincial examination showed that his basic skills were already very solid and his policy essays were also quite good.

The provincial examination differed from the academy examination. The academy examination only tested basic knowledge, while the provincial examination tested policy essays. The metropolitan examination tested a wider range of knowledge, while the palace examination was directly set by the emperor, asking questions about the country's current major policies and guidelines.

Historically, the military garrison system implemented by the Ming Dynasty was a policy proposal put forward by the first top scholar in the imperial examination of the Ming Dynasty.

Nie Yu has now made a decision: Deng Xianhe can serve by his side regardless of whether he fails the exam or not. While it may seem like there's no real official position, and even if he does, his rank won't be high, but serving the Prince of Han is practically equivalent to being a protégé of the emperor, with a limitless future ahead.

This was also Nie Yu's deliberate act. After the imperial examination, he would further reveal Wang Fuzhi's scholarship, making these people think they "understood" that the King of Han liked Wang Fuzhi's scholarship.

Deng Xianhe was summoned to serve by the King of Han because he studied the teachings of Wang Fuzhi.

In this way, all the scholars and literati of the Han Dynasty would be forced to pay attention to what Wang Fuzhi had actually said.

Confucianism has never been static. Since the Western Han Dynasty dismissed all other schools of thought and exclusively honored Confucianism, Confucianism has been automatically adapting to the needs of rulers of successive dynasties.

Now, it's simply a matter of these Confucian scholars continuing to adapt to the needs of the King of Han.

To oppose upholding heavenly principles and suppressing human desires is utterly rebellious!
What? You say the King of Han likes... then I can also oppose asceticism, asceticism is utter nonsense.

(End of this chapter)