There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 346 Zhejiang Uprising
The Prince of Han's Mansion.

Nie Yu was convening a meeting of his cabinet ministers, holding in his hand a translated telegram: "The Eighteen Bureaus of Central Zhejiang have risen up!"

The cabinet ministers who attended the meeting were all somewhat bewildered and confused.

What 18th Bureau? Where did it come from?

Of course, Da Han knew that some people in Zhejiang wanted to revolt, but the one who successfully made contact with Da Han was the Red Turban Army in Yueqing County, Zhejiang Province. In essence, it was a local militia organized by the Yueqing gentry who were unwilling to remain idle.

What the heck is this Zhejiang Central 18th Bureau that suddenly appeared?

When Nie Yu circulated the telegram sent from Zhejiang, everyone realized that the so-called Eighteen Bureaus of Central Zhejiang was actually just an ordinary peasant uprising.

From the perspective of the pseudo-Qing government, this should be a group of unruly mobs who violently resisted taxes.

The meaning of "Eighteen Bureaus" is simple and clear: it means that eighteen villages that jointly resisted taxes by force united to form a bureau.

Now, for reasons unknown, the 18th Bureau, which violently resisted taxes, has suddenly launched an uprising in central Zhejiang.

Their uprising disrupted the plans of the Red Turban Army in eastern Zhejiang, and also disrupted the expansion rhythm of the Han Dynasty.

When Da Han received the Red Army's contact last year, he did seriously consider whether to attack Zhejiang first and take it over.

Now, there's no need to argue anymore. If the Red Turban Army in eastern Zhejiang doesn't follow up after the sudden uprising of the Eighteen Bureaus in central Zhejiang, they might just miss a chance to fight if they're lucky, or they might be taken advantage of by the puppet Qing government.

After all, the Red Turban Army in eastern Zhejiang was not clean either; it was only because the magistrate of Yueqing County was unwilling to get involved and turned a blind eye.

After Nie and the others finished reading the document, they asked, "How are the formation and training of the new troops in the Seventh and Eighth Divisions going?"

Wang Ruoyu said, "The Seventh Division has been fully organized and trained. The Eighth Division has also recruited more than 7,000 soldiers. However, the training period is still short, and we are afraid that their combat effectiveness is not yet refined."

“In that case,” Nie Yu nodded slightly and said, “the Eighth Division will remain in Jingzhou to continue recruiting and replenishing its ranks until it is fully manned. The Seventh Division will immediately be replenished with weapons and firearms by the Ministry of War, and civilian laborers and ships will be conscripted to prepare provisions and supplies for the army’s expedition. I will personally lead the expedition this time!”

Upon hearing that the King of Han intended to personally lead the expedition, the cabinet ministers exchanged glances but none of them voiced any objection.

There's no need to object. Putting aside the fact that Nie Ning is a true warrior who earned his title through battle, Nie Yu's declaration that he would personally lead an expedition to the Jiangnan region is also relevant.

Jiangnan was important to the puppet Qing dynasty, and also to the Han dynasty, especially since Nanjing was located there. If Nanjing were captured, the King of Han could declare himself emperor.

The most direct impact of declaring himself emperor is that the divine mandate of the Qing dynasty, which had usurped power, will naturally shift.

At the very least, half of it should be taken by the Han people. This is not a superstitious belief, but rather the will of the people.

People are superstitious. Even scholars who did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits will naturally believe in the concepts of destiny and the general trend.

As long as the Han Dynasty did not declare itself an emperor, it would not only be inferior to the Qing Dynasty in terms of official status, but in the hearts of the people, the Han Dynasty would always be a regional rebel king, at best a separatist regime, not a legitimate dynasty.

Therefore, Jiangnan was very important to the Han Dynasty, and equally important to the puppet Qing Dynasty.

If Jiangnan is lost, the Mandate of Heaven for the pseudo-Qing dynasty will be divided, and the legitimacy of the dynasty in people's hearts will naturally shift.

This is why Nie Yu's campaign in Jiangnan was very slow. If the campaign had been too fast, and Nanjing had been captured by mistake, the Qing dynasty would have been thrown into turmoil.

Even if Emperor Jiaqing were incompetent, he would spare no expense to mobilize all of the Qing dynasty's heavy troops to march south and fight the Han dynasty to the death.

Unfortunately, plans can't keep up with changes!

Nie Yu had been holding back for so long, and had set a strategic plan for gradual and steady expansion, but it was still disrupted by the peasant uprising in Zhejiang.

Since that's the case, then we should accept what Heaven has given us, lest we suffer the consequences!

The Han dynasty had already occupied several major grain-producing areas in the south, including Huguang, which inevitably led to food shortages in the Jiangzhe region, soaring rice and commodity prices, and a rapid collapse of the market economy.

The puppet Qing dynasty needed to support its war effort in the north, as well as maintain stable grain and commodity prices in the Zhili region to prevent significant fluctuations and ensure that the Manchu nobles wouldn't go hungry.

Therefore, the Jiangnan region would inevitably be subjected to rampant exploitation and oppression, squeezing every last drop of blood from the gentry and common people of Jiangnan.

If they continue to act recklessly like this, even if the gentry of Jiangnan don't rebel, the common people will inevitably rebel; they won't be able to survive if they don't.

The Han Dynasty decided to change its expansion plans, and the King of Han personally led an expedition to the south of the Yangtze River.

...But back then, in Yueqing County, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, in eastern Zhejiang.

Qu Wenguang and others had also learned of the uprising of the 18th Bureau of the New Central Committee. The sudden uprising of the 18th Bureau caught them somewhat off guard.

"What should we do now?" asked Manager Lu, the grain merchant.

Qu Wenguang looked at the group of people who were all looking at him and said, "Brothers, do you still remember last year when we swore an oath of blood here?"

Shopkeeper Lu's eyes flickered, then he nodded solemnly: "Of course I remember! We swore an oath of blood to overthrow the Qing and restore the Han!"

"Oppose the Qing and revive the Han" was the new slogan put forward by Qu Wenguang and his group after they made contact with the Han Dynasty.

Qu Wenguang said with a serious expression, "Good, I am grateful to the brothers for thinking so highly of me. When we swore an oath of brotherhood, we all elected me as the leader. Now, although the situation has changed beyond our expectations, the uprising of the 18th Bureau in Jinhua is also an opportunity for us."

Huang, the officer in charge, suddenly brightened up: "You mean..."

Qu Wenguang said, "If we follow the original plan, the best outcome will probably be to take Yueqing County swiftly. If we are lucky, we might be able to capture Wenzhou Prefecture before the government troops arrive to reinforce us."

"At that time, we will hold Wenzhou city, send a message to the Han army to enter Zhejiang, and then we will surrender the city to the Han army and make a great contribution!"

"But now, there's no need for that. With the 18th Bureau's uprising, our Zhejiang troops will all be drawn to central Zhejiang. Just the other day, the magistrate of Yueqing County came to me, asking me to lead troops into Yueqing County to assist in the defense of the county seat, in case any unruly people cause trouble..."

The rest is self-explanatory; those who understand will understand. Since the magistrate of Yueqing County invited them into the city, if they didn't seize the opportunity to take over Yueqing County, wouldn't all their money spent on training the local militia have been for nothing?

Manager Lu, being cautious, asked again, "What did the Great Han angel say?"

Qu Wenguang said, "I asked the angel the day before yesterday, and the angel just replied to me this morning, saying that the King of Han has made a decision to personally lead an expedition to attack Jiangnan, and that we should wait for the opportunity to prepare for the uprising!"

"The King of Han is going to personally lead an expedition to Jiangnan!"

Everyone present was taken aback at first, then their expressions immediately brightened.

Before, they were somewhat hesitant and timid. Deciding to rebel was one thing, but actually doing it was another. When the time came, they would always have some reservations and instinctive fears.

But now we are not afraid, because the King of Han is coming, and he will personally lead the army to attack.

There's no need to say anything more about Qu Wenguang. These people quickly finished discussing the details of the uprising, and fearing that things might go wrong if they waited too long, they decided to launch the uprising the next day.

It was dawn the next day.

Qu Wenguang gathered 1500 militiamen under his command. These men had been recruited and trained over the past six months, with considerable investment and ample food supplies.

Qu Wenguang led his 1500-strong militia from Hongqiao Town to Yueqing County for garrison duty.

When the magistrate of Yueqing County heard that Qu Wenguang had brought 1500 local militiamen, he was overjoyed and hurriedly led Captain Huang and others to the city gate to welcome him.

The magistrate of Yueqing County laughed and said, "Haha, Master Qu is indeed a loyal subject of our Great Qing. Once the governor quells the rebellion of the rioters in Jinhua, I will definitely ask Master Qu for credit. By the way, I heard that your son is also preparing for the imperial examination. He doesn't need to prepare for it anymore. I will ask the governor to allow your son to be admitted to the academy without taking the exam."

Qu Wenguang immediately cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your kind offer, sir!"

After saying this, the magistrate of Yueqing County reached out to take Qu Wenguang's hand, preparing to enter the city together.

Qu Wenguang smiled and stepped forward, silently placing one hand on his waist knife.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

As the blade flashed, blood gushed out, and the magistrate of Yueqing County clutched his throat, his face filled with disbelief.

"Kill! Leave no one behind."

After Qu Wenguang killed the magistrate of Yueqing County with a single blow, Huang, the battalion commander who was following behind the magistrate, suddenly attacked and killed another battalion commander who was a close confidant of the magistrate.

"Kill!"

Then, Qu Wenguang's personal guards, Huang's confidants, all tied red scarves around their necks and indiscriminately hacked at those who didn't have red scarves.

(End of this chapter)