There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 316 Chizhou
Chizhou.

Bai Nan personally led an army of 5,000, along with another 5,000 civilians, making a total of 10,000 troops who sailed down the river.

Such a commotion could not be concealed at all, and the Han army had no intention of doing so.

"My lords, there is an urgent military situation!"

"Speak quickly."

Wang Bing frowned and urged him on, a bad feeling creeping into his heart.

As expected, the messenger replied: "Anqing has fallen. The Han rebels have sent 10,000 troops down the river from the direction of Anqing. They have now passed Changfeng Ridge and are rushing towards Chizhou."

Wang Bing and Chen Anbang were caught off guard by what they heard.

Although they had made the worst-case scenario plan, they still did not expect that while they were planning to cross the river and send troops to rescue Anqing, Anqing would fall first.

While the two were still pondering, Zhang Zengxu, the prefect of Chizhou, rushed in. Seeing Wang Bing and Chen Anbang, he asked with a tearful face, "General Wang, Commander Chen, tens of thousands of bandits are coming! What should we do?"

Wang Bing was so annoyed that he couldn't think straight and could only reassure him, "Prefect Zhang, don't worry. It's just a mere ten thousand rebels. Chizhou Prefecture has high walls and thick walls. The rebels can't take it."

Chen Anbang added, "The most urgent task is to quickly procure food and fodder, recruit laborers, and prepare defensive supplies such as kerosene, rolling stones, and logs."

Zhang Zengxu nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, what General Wang and Commander Chen said is right. I will take care of it right away!"

The entire Chizhou prefecture quickly mobilized to defend the city.

Two days later, the Han army arrived at Chikou Town, less than 20 li from Chizhou Prefecture.

The Han army's warships could not go any further north because there were two islands on the north bank of Chizhou Prefecture, which divided the Yangtze River into three confluences: narrow at the top and bottom and wide in the middle.

Both sides sent out scouts to gather intelligence on the enemy.

Moreover, spies from both sides were rowing small boats and confronting each other along the narrow Nanzi Island.

"kill!"

The Han scouts made the first move.

A dozen or so small Han Chinese boats rushed toward the Qing scouts.

Seeing this, the Qing scouts didn't engage in a direct confrontation; they swiftly turned and fled. Because they were escaping down the river, their speed was too fast for the Qing scouts to catch.

The Han scouts sailed all the way to two miles outside the city of Chizhou before finally disembarking to check on the villagers. One of them even carried a telescope.

"Report!"

"Chizhou City is heavily fortified, and two months ago, a Qing army was stationed in Chizhou. Some say it numbered several hundred, while others say it numbered one or two thousand."

Upon hearing the scout's report, Bai Nan almost instantly guessed that the Qing army must be a defeated force fleeing from the Jiujiang battlefield.

Yang Fang had telegraphed him that although he had left most of the Qing army behind in the Battle of Jiujiang, several thousand Qing soldiers had fled, most likely heading north.

Since that's the case, there's nothing to be afraid of. They're just a bunch of scattered and fleeing soldiers, not even as good as a rabble.

Bai Nan's army temporarily stayed in Chikou Town, and used silver and grain to recruit laborers and find carts and horses to transport grain and supplies.

The military instructor arrived in the town, summoned the townspeople, and began his routine storytelling to them.

That's right, it's storytelling, but the stories are all adapted versions of the events from the Han Dynasty's uprising to the present day.

The protagonist of the story is naturally the King of Han, who is portrayed as a young and heroic figure who saves people from suffering and upholds justice for the people.

The plot is somewhat clichéd, mainly revolving around the execution of corrupt officials and the punishment of landlords and gentry, interspersed with policy elements such as distributing land to the people and establishing peasant associations that can make decisions for farmers.

After the instructors finished telling a story, the villagers listening to the story all had longing in their eyes.

A dark-skinned man instinctively raised his hand and asked, "Is it really true that the King of Han is distributing land to us poor people?"

When asked, the instructor retorted, "Why not?"

The dark-skinned man scratched his head: "But the land all belongs to the landlords, and those landlords have connections with the government officials..."

Upon hearing this, Instructor Wen initially found it amusing, but then immediately became serious and said, "Fellow villagers, I know what you're afraid of, but don't be afraid, because we're here now. We will distribute land to you, so there will be no more landlords or lords here. No one will have to be a slave to landlords anymore; from now on, you'll all farm for yourselves. After paying a year's taxes, there will be no more exorbitant levies or rent from landlords. Everyone will have hope and can hold their heads high!"

These few simple policy statements, while not particularly persuasive, had, combined with the stories told earlier, completely dispelled the villagers' fear of the Han army.

The idea that the Han army ate raw meat and drank blood, and killed indiscriminately, is all nonsense.

Could the Han soldiers, who could distribute land to them and allow them to live with dignity, be bad people?

Moreover, these Han soldiers from other places, despite speaking different accents, did not rob food or women after arriving in their village.

Could there really be such rebels and such an army in the world?
Chikou Town, Liu Family Old House.

"Father, don't hesitate any longer."

The young Liu Jiye earnestly advised his father, Liu Tongjin, "The Han army is disciplined and has not looted or killed anyone when they arrived at Chikou Town. With such an elite and powerful army at our disposal, the King of Han in Huguang will surely win the world. If my Liu family does not seize this opportunity and join the new dynasty as soon as possible, it will be too late when the new dynasty is established!"

The elderly Liu Tongjin shook his head repeatedly when his son tried to persuade him: "In this world, nothing is ever certain. Even if the King of Han is as you say, truly possessing the qualities of an emperor, the moment the Han army arrives, they will want to seize my Liu family's land. These thousands of acres of fertile land are the foundation accumulated by my Liu family ancestors. How can we easily hand them over to others? They should be distributed to those lowly tenant farmers."

Hearing this, Liu Jiye said helplessly, "Father, what time is it now? It's just tens of thousands of acres of land. For the sake of the Liu family's contribution to the rise of the new emperor, we can give it up. Besides, even if you are unwilling to give it up, will the Han army not share it? Rather than being forced to divide the land now, it's better to cooperate actively, so that I can gain a good reputation in the new dynasty and make a good impression on the Han king. Furthermore, once the Liu family becomes meritorious officials in the new dynasty and holds high office, what's a few thousand acres of fertile land? Are we afraid we won't have it then?"

All that was said before was nonsense; the last sentence is the only real truth.

If they cooperate with the land redistribution now, they'll have plenty of land to rely on when they become high-ranking officials. Besides, even if they don't cooperate, the Han army will still redistribute the land, so it's better to use this land to maximize the Liu family's profits.

Liu Tongjin was already wavering, but he was still unsure: "The King of Han has not yet gained control of the empire. Would it be wise to pledge allegiance now...?"

Seeing his father's hesitation, Liu Jiye pressed on one last time: "Father, don't you want our family to become the main branch of the Liu family?"

The main branch of the Liu family refers not to the Liu family in Chikou Town, but to the Liu family of Chizhou, or the Liu family of Pengcheng.

The main branch of the Liu clan in Chizhou resided in the prefectural city of Chizhou, while the others were branches outside the main branch. The reason these branches were so powerful was that they protected the Liu clan's ancestral hall. Liu Jiye said, "When the Han army comes here, they not only divide the land but also the clans. Any powerful clan with more than ten members will have to go to the government to divide their property. This may be a catastrophe for the main branch, but it is great news for us branches outside. With the main branch split up, Father will control our Liu clan's ancestral hall. As long as I can gain a foothold in the new dynasty, Father, you will be the head of our main Liu clan. At the very least, you can establish your own clan and compile a genealogy."

This was also a common tactic used by powerful clans in ancient times to pass on their power. If a branch family produced officials who passed the imperial examinations for several generations, its strength would often surpass that of the main branch.

After that, either the collateral branches rose to become the main branch and became the new leaders of the family, or they simply moved to another place and established a new clan.

Those who are close to each other can keep in touch and update the family genealogy, while those who are not close will completely cut off contact.

Becoming the head of the clan and having a separate genealogy—these eight simple words are irresistible to both ancient and modern people.

Liu Tongjin's old and unsteady legs seemed to have recovered, and he paced back and forth quickly with his cane.

After a long pause, Liu Tongjin said to his son, Liu Jiye, "Jiye! Now take the family's land deeds and property deeds and go find the general of the Han army. Also, although my Liu family in Chikou Town is only a collateral branch of the Liu clan of Chizhou, we still have some connections with the main branch in Chizhou Prefecture. When the Han army comes to Chikou Town, they will definitely attack the city of Chizhou Prefecture. And with such a powerful army, the city of Chizhou Prefecture cannot stop them. If you're going to do something, do it thoroughly!"

Before long, the Han soldiers who were recruiting laborers in Chikou Town and presiding over the land redistribution campaign attracted a large number of local gentry to join them.

Seeing this, Liu Jiye secretly rejoiced. Fortunately, he hadn't reacted too slowly. If he had missed this great opportunity, it wouldn't have been so easy for him to seek refuge and make contributions later.

Times have changed, and the Han Dynasty is no longer what it used to be.

At least in the eyes of these Jiangnan gentry, the Han Dynasty was no longer a rabble that could be easily defeated, but a legitimate rebel king who could rival the imperial court for supremacy.

Compared to other gentry who had pledged allegiance to him, Liu Jiye was still special, as he was received by Bai Nan.

Because he not only voluntarily handed over the land deeds, but also the deeds of his servants and the household registers that had been registered with the puppet Qing government.

They cooperated when the land was divided.

They cooperated in freeing the slaves.

They cooperated equally when dividing the family property.

Bai Nan naturally had to give face to such a sensible local gentry and meet him in person, so as to set an example for the local land redistribution.

"Meet the General!"

Upon seeing Bai Nan, Liu Jiye knelt down and kowtowed: "This humble subject, Liu Jiye, is willing to take Chizhou Prefecture for the general."

Just as he was about to habitually reprimand and remind the other party that the Han people did not observe the kneeling ceremony, Bai Nan suddenly realized something and asked in surprise, "You have a way to take over Chizhou Prefecture?"

In Bai Nan's eyes, Chizhou Prefecture was not too difficult to conquer, and he also had the Anhui Governor Zhu Gui as an advantage, so conquering it was a sure thing.

The key lies in how much time and how much food and manpower are wasted.

If there were an easier way to play, Bai Nan would naturally not refuse.

Liu Jiye said, "My ancestors were a branch of the Liu family of Chizhou. Although we have separated, I still have ties with the main family. I can write a letter now. If you agree, General, we will not take any of the Liu family's land. Our Liu family will certainly be your inside help!"

Bai Nan shook his head: "That's impossible. The land distribution is the decree of the King of Han, and it is also the foundation of our Great Han Dynasty. Your Liu family from Chizhou will not only receive land, but will also have their household slaves released, just like you. Families with more than ten members will all have to go to the government to divide their property!"

Liu Jiye looked troubled, and after thinking for a moment, said, "Then please promise, General, that you will only distribute the land and release the slaves, and will not pursue their crimes."

Bai Nan nodded: "If they can cooperate with the army to take Chizhou Prefecture, it can be considered that they have redeemed themselves by doing good deeds."

Liu Jiye laughed and said, "Then I will immediately write a letter to persuade my fellow Liu family members in Chizhou Prefecture to become your inside agents."

Having said that, he respectfully withdrew.

Bai Nan watched the guy leave, seemingly lost in thought, but after a moment he shook his head and stopped worrying about it.

Two days later, the Han army marched north from Chikou Town, no longer taking the waterway.

The number of Han troops had increased by almost half compared to when they first marched north from Anqing. They were all laborers and civilians recruited by the Han army in Chikou Town and nearby villages.

With the preaching and lectures of the accompanying military instructors, and the assistance of the local gentry, the villagers and townspeople around Chikou Town all enthusiastically joined the army.

As long as they help these polite and generous rebels, who are even more like government troops than government troops, to capture Chizhou Prefecture, the rebels will take them to divide the land owned by the landlords and waive the rent they owed the landlords.

Only a fool wouldn't want to do something so good!
"General, there are bandits to the south!"

Wang Bing and Chen Anbang exchanged a glance and rushed to the south city wall. Sure enough, they saw tens of thousands of Han soldiers approaching Chizhou Prefecture.

While the Han army was still marching, several dozen cavalrymen charged forward.

The leader of these cavalrymen carried a large megaphone, while the others held strong bows, with pre-written letters of surrender attached to the bows.

"Fellow villagers in Chizhou, stop resisting! Your governor has been arrested, and Anqing is gone."

"Stop working for the officials. You are locals from Anhui, but those officials aren't."

"Even if you risk your lives, you won't get any benefits in the end. You might even lose your life. At most, the officials will get rich."

"Surrender now, and all officers, including yourself, will be spared death. You'll even get to share the land with the other people. But if you resist stubbornly, you'll only face certain death."

"..."

The lead Han cavalryman used a megaphone to shout for surrender, while dozens more Han cavalrymen drew their bows and shot surrender notices at the city wall.

Although nine out of ten Qing soldiers in Chizhou were illiterate, the officers at least knew a few characters.

Upon seeing the promises in the letter of surrender, not only the Qing soldiers but also the officers were eager to join the fight.

There was no other way; the governor had been captured, and Anqing Prefecture was gone. How could we possibly fight now?
The city of Chizhou originally had only one Chizhou garrison of more than 400 men. Later, with the addition of the personal guards brought by Wang Bing and Chen Anbang, the total strength reached about 3,000 men.

With such a small force, they're no match for the tens of thousands of bandits outside the city!
Wang Bing realized something was wrong and quickly calmed himself down, saying, "Don't panic, the Han traitors are lying. Anqing Prefecture is still standing, and the governor hasn't been captured!"

Chen Anbang drew his sword and ordered, "Fire arrows! Fire arrows! Shoot down the enemy soldiers!"

(End of this chapter)