There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 345 Another war is about to begin.

Dazhou.

It has been almost a year since Zhang Zhengmo submitted to the Han Dynasty, was granted the title of Marquis of Dazhou, and was appointed General of Sichuan.

Based on his military prestige from his previous great victory over the Qing army, Zhang Zhengmo was unanimously elected by various factions of the rebel army as the supreme commander of the Sichuan rebel army.

He then spent more than half a year winning over his confidants and eliminating dissidents, thus unifying and firmly controlling the various factions of the rebel army.

Besides controlling and winning over the rebel army, Zhang Zhengmo also learned from the lessons of the Han Dynasty and felt that Nie Yu was able to succeed because the policies of the Han Dynasty did have merit, and the people were not all useless cannon fodder and fools.

In the latter half of last year, Zhang Zhengmo followed the various policies of the Han Dynasty. First, he distributed land to the poor people. Then, he led his troops to coerce landlords and gentry into releasing tenant farmers and slaves, and wiped out all the usurious debts owed by the tenant farmers.

The effect of this approach was obvious. The people of Dazhou were used to being oppressed by the government and soldiers, and had never seen such a righteous army before.
Not only did they not exploit them, they even distributed land to them.

Although Zhang Zhengmo's land distribution was quite crude, and although it was indeed a distribution of land to the people, the land was distributed in a very chaotic manner, without any corresponding regulations. There were no officials in charge of the land distribution, and they were all appointed on the spot.

Such haphazard land redistribution will inevitably lead to favoritism and corruption, and may even result in armed clashes among villagers over land.

The largest one involved more than two thousand people, comparable to a small-scale field battle, and resulted in more than two hundred casualties.

Moreover, the land that the people fought so hard for was actually what Zhang Zhengmo's rebel army had left over; the real good fields and fertile land had long been occupied.

However, even with all the problems, the land has been divided, and that's that.

The people did indeed benefit, and the hearts of the people of Dazhou quickly turned to them.

February of this year.

Zhang Zhengmo officially raised an army of 20,000 and marched south along the Qujiang River to attack Guang'an Prefecture.

The prefect of Guang'an was caught off guard and could not stop the attack of 20,000 rebels.

In just two days, the city of Guang'an was captured by the rebel army. The prefect of Guang'an was beheaded by Zhang Zhengmo as a sacrifice to the flag, and his head was sent to Yuechi and Linshui counties.

The magistrate of Linshui County was very decisive. Upon seeing the head of his colleague in the north, he didn't say anything and fled overnight.

The magistrate of Yuechi County refused to surrender and angrily rebuked Zhang Zhengmo, saying that if he wanted to seize the city, he would have to die.

Then, he really died.

This guy didn't want to surrender; he wanted to be a loyal subject who died for the Qing Dynasty. But the local officials in the county didn't want to!

These clerks and yamen runners conspired to kill the magistrate of Yuechi County, cut off his head, and sent it to Zhang Zhengmo.

Within ten days of marching south, the rebel army had captured one prefecture and two counties.

Such a brilliant victory greatly fueled Zhang Zhengmo's ambition, and he did not linger in the three cities any longer, but directly led an army of 20,000 north to attack Shunqing Prefecture.

Upon hearing of the righteous army's land redistribution policy in Dazhou, the local people along the way volunteered to serve as laborers for the army, while some familiar with the roads became guides.

……

Kuizhou.

This area now belongs to the Han Dynasty, and it was taken over by the First Division without bloodshed last year.

Nie Yu originally thought that this gateway to Sichuan, a strategic location that the thirteen families of Kuidong had held onto for many years, would require some effort for him to take it over.

However, the reality was that the prefect of Kuizhou surrendered the city as soon as he saw the Han army fleet arrive.

We have no choice but to surrender!

Kuizhou Prefecture does indeed possess the strategic advantage of the Three Gorges of Kuimen, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. However, this is under normal circumstances. Last year, the prefecture was completely surrounded by the Han army and attacked from within.

To the east was the First Division of the Han Army advancing along the Yangtze River.

To the south lies the Shizhu Ma family, which has already sided with the Han Dynasty.

To the west lies the Han Dynasty, which has submitted to the Han, and Zhang Zhengmo, the Marquis of Dazhou, is also preparing to launch a pincer attack.

In the north, there were also those from Shaanxi heading south, preparing to join the White Lotus Rebellion army of the Han Dynasty.

With rebels appearing from all four directions, the prefect of Kuizhou thought, "What's the point of fighting?"
They simply gave up. The Han army had barely arrived and hadn't even disembarked when the Han flag was already hoisted atop the city walls of the prefecture.

The Han Army Camp in Kuizhou.

He Shunan is convening a meeting with the commanders, staff officers, and instructors of his various departments.

He Shunan produced a translated copy of an urgent telegram and said, "A spy from Dazhou reports that Zhang Zhengmo has raised 20,000 troops, claiming to have 100,000, to attack Shunqing Prefecture!"

Staff Officer Xue Ju immediately said, "This is a good thing! Zhang Zhengmo is attacking Shunqing Prefecture and has even made a show of having 100,000 troops. The attention of the Qing army in Sichuan will definitely be drawn to this guy. Our army has been preparing for war in Kuizhou for a year. We can take advantage of this rare opportunity while Zhang Zhengmo is at war with the Qing army to march south and attack Zhongzhou and Chongqing!"

This was a strategic goal that the Han Dynasty had set long ago. Zhang Zhengmo had already submitted to the Han Dynasty, and the Han Dynasty did not have much energy to recover Sichuan, a place that was easy to defend but difficult to attack.

Therefore, Da Han decided to first hand over the Qing army in Sichuan to Zhang Zhengmo to deal with, and also let this fellow clean up the landlords and gentry in Sichuan.

The news that Zhang Zhengmo was imitating the Han Dynasty in distributing land and freeing slaves in Dazhou had already been reported back to Jingzhou by the Han spies planted in Dazhou.

Nie Yu was not worried or angry about this; on the contrary, he was very happy.

If Zhang Zhengmo wants to distribute land to the people, then let him do it. As long as the people can actually get land and no longer have to be slaves to landlords, he can even tolerate Zhang Zhengmo and let him finish these things first. Once the people of Sichuan receive land and have a way to survive, there won't be too many deaths due to the war. When the Han Dynasty later marches into Sichuan, all that's needed is to establish peasant associations in the towns and villages and replace and reorganize the officials. Nothing else needs to be adjusted, which can greatly save the Han Dynasty's financial investment in Sichuan.

The only problem is that once Zhang Zhengmo has distributed the land, he will definitely be very popular with the people of Sichuan, which may make it difficult for the Han army to enter Sichuan at that time.

Of course, this is not necessarily true, because Zhang Zhengmo's land redistribution and slave release was not thorough; the land he distributed was mostly what was left over.

Zhang Zhengmo followed the example of the Han Dynasty in distributing land, but he did not restrict land annexation. His soldiers, officers and generals were all annexing land, but the annexation was very slow and not too excessive.

There were also slaves and tenants. Zhang Zhengmo released them, but his rebel soldiers were now arresting and selling slaves and tenants again.

Otherwise, it won't work if they just take over the land but there's no one to help them farm and serve them!

With the support of his staff officer Xue Ju, He Shun'an discussed the troop deployment plan with several commanders and then issued an order to assemble the army and prepare for the southward campaign.

Just three days later, the vanguard of the Han army from Kuizhou Prefecture, numbering two thousand, took the lead and sailed south to Zhongzhou.

He then sent a personal letter from He Shun'an to Shizhu by fast horse. The letter contained only two words: "Send troops!"

Ma Youzhao, the magistrate of Shizhu, immediately responded and summoned the two thousand soldiers of Shizhu who had just been recruited and established the previous year.

Ma Youzhao donned the armor passed down from his ancestors during the Ming Dynasty: "From this day forward, the Ma family of Shizhu has officially submitted to the Great Han. Now, the Great Han royal army is heading south to attack Zhongzhou. You will all come with me to Zhongzhou to join the Great Han royal army. Once Zhongzhou is captured, each of you will receive an acre of land, and you will no longer be tenants of the Ma family."

"Oh!"

"Oh!"

Two thousand Shizhu soldiers brandished their crude swords and spears.

After boosting morale, Ma Youzhao then pulled out the prefect of Shizhu, ignoring the prefect's disheveled appearance and desperate pleas for mercy.

With one strike of the knife, the head fell to the ground.

The Ma family of Shizhu officially set out with troops. In order to show their loyalty to the Han Dynasty, Ma Youzhao personally led the army into battle and raised the banner of the Han Dynasty.

The prefect of Zhongzhou was already terrified upon hearing that the Han army was marching south. He was even more alarmed when he heard that the Ma family had killed the prefect of Shizhu and was now raising the banner of the Great Han to join the attack on Zhongzhou.

The garrison at Zhongzhou only numbers 250 men. What's the point of fighting with that many?
The prefect of Zhongzhou hurriedly sent someone to surrender to the Han army, fearing that if he was too slow to surrender, his own life would be in danger.

Good heavens, the vanguard of the Han army had barely arrived in Zhongzhou when Zhongzhou surrendered without a fight.

He Shunan led the main force of the Han army to arrive late. The Han army rested temporarily in Zhongzhou and took in and integrated two thousand Shizhu soldiers. Including the Han army's navy and militia, the total strength was close to 20,000.

Five hundred militiamen were left to guard the city, while several land distribution officials who came with the army distributed land to the gentry and landlords of Zhongzhou and released their slaves.

The remaining Han army continued south along the Yangtze River and attacked Chongqing Prefecture.

At that time, Zhang Ruiyuan, the prefect of Chongqing, had just learned that Fengdu County had fallen. He was greatly surprised, but he did not panic too much.

As an important town in eastern Kui, Chongqing Prefecture was garrisoned by the Chongqing Garrison Green Standard Army, with a total strength of about 1,800 men in the left, right and central battalions. In addition, the local militias organized by landlords and gentry were also present, so they were not completely incapable of fighting.

Upon receiving the news, Zhang Ruiyuan immediately sealed off the city gates and destroyed the city's protective bridge. At the same time, he called on the local militia and gentry to contribute money, grain, and manpower to assist the government in defending the city.

……

Guizhou.

The Fourth Division of the Han Army is setting out from Yuanzhou Prefecture, divided into two routes.

The Western Route Han Army, led by Xu Dechang, the staff officer of the Fourth Division, marched along the Wu River past Huangzhou and advanced to take over Sizhou Prefecture.

The Southern Route Han Army was personally led by Xu Yuanrang (Xu Sanlang), the commander of the Fourth Division, and went through Jingzhou to take over Liping Prefecture.

Several officials from the Ministry of Rites accompanied Xu Yuanrang south.

Of course, they weren't going to fight; they were going to pick up people.

This was also the condition put forward by the Zhongmiao people of Guizhou: the three prefectures would submit to the Han Dynasty, and the King of Han would marry their Zhongmiao's fairy goddess, Wang Acong.

Another political marriage!
……

Guangdong.

The Yao people of Liannan, from the eight villages and twenty-four strongholds, have already mobilized their entire village to send troops.

This year, the Han army will march south to Guangdong and join forces with the righteous army of the Heaven and Earth Society in eastern Guangdong to attack the Qing army in Guangdong.

The Yao people of Bapai did not receive any orders from the Han Dynasty to cooperate in sending troops; their participation was purely voluntary.

Because last year, the King of Han left a good impression on all the envoys from the thirty-two Yao families in the eight rows of Yao villages, showing them compassion and love for the people.

Most importantly, this Han king does not discriminate against the Yao people. As long as the Han king becomes emperor, the Yao people of Bapai will no longer have to worry about being discriminated against and oppressed by the Han government.

They heard from the Han officials in the village that the King of Han was going to march south to attack Guangdong this year. So the 32 Yao families in the eight villages discussed it and decided to join forces to send troops to help the King of Han conquer Guangdong.

The Yao people of Bapai really put in a lot of effort. The thirty-two villages managed to gather more than 10,000 Yao soldiers, which scared the prefect of Lianzhou so much that he didn't even dare to defend the city and abandoned it and ran away.

(End of this chapter)