There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 34 Effortless
Zhijiang is very close to Yidu, only about twenty or thirty miles away, so the news of the Qing army's defeat did not reach Zhijiang County immediately.

But a group of defeated soldiers who fled during the chaotic battle at night did not dare to flee to the north, because to the north was Yidu County, the territory of the rebels, so they could only flee towards Zhijiang County from the south.

There was no major incident in Zhijiang County, but the towns and villages outside the city suffered.

These rebel soldiers had just gone through a great battle, and were at their most fearful and brutal. They had even seen blood, so what else was there to be afraid of?

They didn't rob the common people because they were poor, so they robbed the landlords!
"What? There are rebel soldiers looting the countryside, and several gentry have been wiped out?" Li Huiguang, who was working hard to raise money and food in the county, was a little confused when he heard the news.

The Dianshi nodded and said, "Yes, sir! The gentry are quite frightened and are requesting the government to send troops to suppress the rebellion."

Li Huiguang's eyes darkened. "Mobilize troops? All the men the government can use have been taken away by the governor. Where would I get the troops to mobilize, sir?"

"What should we do then?" asked the Dianshi.

Li Huiguang thought for a moment and said, "Let's wait for now until the governor returns from suppressing the bandits, and then we can discuss this. Speaking of which, where did these rebel soldiers come from? Do the gentry have any explanation?"

"I'm not sure. It seems they came from the north. Could they be the rebels suppressed by the governor?" The registrar made a guess.

Li Huiguang said, "Well, it's possible, but we still need to be on high alert. Close the north gate now and don't allow anyone in or out."

"Great Master, great advice!"

……

About two days later, in the early morning, a group of Manchu soldiers in bright armor arrived at the city.

Looking at the tightly closed North City Gate, the leader Feng Xiuyong rode forward and shouted, "We are the Governor's soldiers. Let us in!"

After these words were shouted, the guards on the city wall did not dare to delay and hurriedly sent a nimble man to the yamen to find the county magistrate.

Li Huiguang was still settling accounts in the yamen at that time, and at the same time he felt increasingly uneasy in his heart, because he always felt that the soldiers outside who were killing landlords everywhere were strange, and did not seem to be the soldiers of the rebels.

Li Huiguang had also heard about the rebels' policy. Although they killed landlords, they did not kill them indiscriminately. Instead, as long as they were willing to divide up their land, they could keep their lives and they could also keep some land tax-free. The divided land was also used to distribute to tenants and refugees.

Simply killing landlords and robbing their money and food seems more like the behavior of officers and soldiers.

Well, no kidding, the rebels distributed land to win over the people, and the government soldiers killed people and looted property.

Very reasonable!

"Master! Master, the governor has sent someone!"

Li Huiguang was feeling uneasy when suddenly the registrar ran in shouting.

"Well... the governor sent someone back?" Li Huiguang came back to his senses and was a little surprised.

Although he was surprised, he did not dare to delay. Without even asking for details, he hurried to the city wall.

Not long after, Li Huiguang came to the city wall and saw a large banner of the governor.

Because he was too far away, Li Huiguang could not see the slightly rough patterns on the banner, nor the team of Manchu soldiers holding the banner.

It’s even more persuasive!
"What's going on? It's been so long, why hasn't the Zhijiang County Magistrate arrived yet? If this delays military operations on the front lines, can you afford it?"

Feng Xiuyong estimated the time at the foot of the city wall and shouted orders loudly at the wall, with a tone as arrogant as possible.

When Li Huiguang heard Feng Xiuyong's voice, he felt that it sounded familiar. When he leaned over to take a look, he saw that it was indeed the legal advisor who had been following the governor before. He cursed in his heart as "a dog relying on the power of others" and waved his hand hurriedly.

"Mr. Feng, please calm down. I'll send someone to put the basket down right away!"

Li Huiguang was very cautious. Even though he saw the governor's banner, the Manchu soldiers, and Feng Xiuyong, he did not dare to open the door immediately.

After all, the rebels were only twenty miles away. If he hadn't been careful, he would have lost his head like the idiot Yidu County Magistrate.

Feng Xiuyong was not angry. He stepped on the basket and was pulled up to the city wall by the rope.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, Li Huiguang groveled and apologized, "Please forgive me, Mr. Feng, but these past few days, many rebel soldiers have suddenly appeared in our village and have plundered and exterminated several virtuous gentry families. Our county is helpless and has resorted to this desperate measure." Feng Xiuyong said disdainfully, "They are just some defeated rebel soldiers, and you are so frightened. Haha."

After all, Li Huiguang was a Jinshi who passed the imperial examination and was a Han official. No matter how incompetent he was, he still had some basic IQ.

It was originally just a casual test, but it turned out that the governor had really defeated the rebels, which is why so many rebel soldiers appeared.

The Governor is truly a military genius!
Li Huiguang quickly apologized with a smile, "Mr. Feng is right. My abilities are indeed limited. I cannot compare to the military prowess of the Governor-General. In just a few days, the Yidu rebels have been completely wiped out!"

Feng Xiuyong nodded slightly, seeming to be quite pleased with Li Huiguang's words of self-deprecation. He said, "The Yidu rebels have been destroyed. Only a few defeated soldiers remain. However, they are just a few bandits. It will take a while to wipe them out. Now, General Fu is ready to pursue the victory and kill them all the way to Yichang. We will meet up with the Yichang army and jointly suppress the remnants of the White Lotus Sect in Changyang and completely wipe out the White Lotus rebels!"

"Therefore, I have been ordered to come here this time, under the command of the commander-in-chief. I am ordering you to quickly collect a batch of food and supplies from Zhijiang County. All merchant ships along the way must also be requisitioned for the army's use!"

After saying this, he called Li Huiguang, who looked troubled, to his side and whispered in his ear, "The commander-in-chief said that if this matter is handled well, the prefect of Jingzhou will not be able to make the decision, but the prefect of Jingmen..."

Now I understand.

Li Huiguang did everything he could, even if it meant offending the rich, to raise money and food. This was all to curry favor with Huiling in order to pursue a career in the government.

Now, he finally got his reward. The magistrate of Jingmen was certainly not as good as the prefect, but for him, a small county magistrate, it was already a promotion.

The most important thing is that he has connections with the masters of the Eight Banners and the governor, so it will be easier for him to get promoted than other Han officials in the future.

Under the huge political interests, all suspicion and vigilance were thrown out of the window.

The handwritten letter from the governor prepared by Feng Xiuyong was not used, or rather, it was used, but Li Huiguang just glanced at it hastily without even comparing the handwriting with the official seal.

The city gate opened, and Li Huiguang followed Feng Xiuyong to count the money and grain in the mule carts.

Feng Xiuyong suddenly turned around and said, "County Magistrate Li, I have something to show you."

Li Huiguang flattered him habitually: "Mr. Feng, what are you talking about? How can I be worthy of being called a 'student'?"

Feng Xiuyong smiled and took off the melon-shaped hat.

Li Huiguang's attention was attracted because he saw a bald head. It was indeed a round and shiny head, with a tuft of black visible on the top of the forehead, which must have been freshly shaved.

Wait, freshly shaved head?

Bald head, no braids...

"opposite……"

He didn't shout out the second half of the word "thief". Li Huiguang stared at Feng Xiuyong in a daze, then lowered his head to look at his abdomen which was in severe pain. A knife had been stabbed into it and had been deliberately stirred a few times.

Li Huiguang died and his body fell to the ground before the registrar could react.

Feng Xiuyong took two steps at a time and rushed out quickly, shouting, "Anti-Qing and Restore Han! Quick! Kill and seize the city!"

"Anti-Qing and restore Han! Kill!"

The dozen or so Manchu soldiers brought by Feng Xiuyong shouted loudly on the spot, then jumped off their horses and started hacking at those wearing officials' uniforms.

In just half a quarter of an hour, all the officials at the city gate were killed, and even the registrar was hacked to death with swords.

No one resisted, and no one knew how to resist.

The Manchu soldiers suddenly shouted "Anti-Qing and Restore Han" and wanted to kill them and seize the city.

Who wouldn’t be confused if this happened to them?

With just a dozen soldiers and a military advisor, Zhijiang County was captured effortlessly.

　At that time in the Qing Dynasty, the average person had a rat tail, and it was not until the late Qing Dynasty that the yin-yang head began to be worn.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)