There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 354 Everyone Wants to Surrender
At that time, Hangzhou could be described as both an inland city and a coastal city.

Because Hangzhou is located at the mouth of the Fuchun River and the Qiantang River, behind which lies the vast Hangzhou Bay, and beyond Hangzhou Bay lies the Yupan Ocean.

The Han dynasty bestowed the title of Marquis of Zhenhai upon Cai Qian, the pirate king of Fujian and Zhejiang, and ordered him to attack the Zhoushan Islands. The intention was for him to go along the Zhoushan Islands, cross Hangzhou Bay, and block the entrance to the Qiantang River to prevent the Fujian and Zhejiang navies from entering.

The Han army was not afraid of the Qing army, but the navy still needed to be on guard.

Given the current combat strength of the Han army's navy, let alone the Fujian navy, it would be difficult to even fight against the pirate fleet under Cai Qian's command.

It's not a problem with the weapons; the problem is simply with the warships.

Hangzhou, city gate tower.

General Fan Jianzhong of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Provincial Treasurer Qing Antai, Zhejiang Provincial Surveillance Commissioner Wang Kun, Hangzhou Prefect Ding Si, and a host of other officials, large and small, were gathered here to watch the Han army that had already landed along the river outside the city.

No one spoke, including the only military officer present, Fan Jianzhong; everyone's eyes were filled with fear and unease.

Half an hour ago, they were just about to finish their work for the day and go back to rest when a subordinate suddenly reported that the Han rebel army was at the gates of the city.

If you round it up, Hangzhou can be considered a coastal city.

If the Han rebels want to attack Hangzhou, they can only break through Yanzhou first; otherwise, the Tianmu Mountains are to the west of Hangzhou, and the Han rebel army cannot get through.

To the south of Yanzhou Prefecture is Jinhua Prefecture, the main base of the Qing army in Zhejiang. If the Han traitors were to attack Yanzhou, the governor of Jinhua would certainly not stand idly by.

Even if the governor is defeated, they will definitely receive the news in advance in Hangzhou.

But what is the situation now?
Did Yanzhou Prefecture disappear or surrender? Where did the governor go? And where did the main force of the Qing army in Zhejiang that he took away go?
After everyone watched for a long time, the Han army had all landed and were busy choosing a site to set up camp.

Zhejiang Provincial Governor Qing Antai couldn't help but ask, "General Fan, now that the Han rebel army is at the city gates, and the situation in Yanzhou and Jinhua is unclear, what should we do now?"

When asked the question, General Fan Jianzhong of Hangzhou frowned, pondered for a long time, and was about to speak when he suddenly coughed violently.

"Cough cough... cough cough cough..."

This fellow was already nearing the end of his life; historically, he should have died of illness in his post as general in Hangzhou in about two or three months.

Now, on his deathbed, this guy managed to catch up with the Han army. I don't know whether to call his luck good or bad.

Fan Jianzhong coughed violently several times, and his attendant, seeing this, quickly and skillfully took out a silk handkerchief.

Fan Jianzhong took the handkerchief, covered his mouth and nose, and quickly wiped away the black blood he had just coughed up. He then took a box of dark, unidentified medicine from his attendant.

The medicine emitted a foul odor, and even with the addition of spices, the stench was still difficult to mask.

Fan Jianzhong seemed completely unaware as he took the medicine with water. Before long, his complexion became unusually rosy, and his original ailments subsided considerably. He even had a strange feeling of being full of energy.

The officials in Hangzhou were not surprised by this, because they also had this unknown drug on them, which was given to them by a merchant surnamed Pang.

I must say, after smoking it with tobacco, I really felt refreshed and invigorated. It truly lives up to its reputation as an elegant import from overseas; it is indeed very refined!
After recovering from his medication for a while, Fan Jianzhong said, "The Han rebel army is at the gates of the city. Yanzhou Prefecture has most likely already fallen, and even Governor Ruan and General Li are probably in grave danger. The most urgent task is to immediately call on the wealthy households and gentry in Hangzhou to prepare to raise money to recruit soldiers to defend the city."

"Also, immediately send a messenger to order the Zhejiang navy to come to our aid. I have already checked, and the Han rebels' army is not large, and their warships are generally small. As long as the main force of the Zhejiang navy comes, they can cut off the rebels' supply lines and retreat routes, or at the very least force the rebels to retreat."

This Hangzhou general, who was relying on opium to stay alive, was still quite self-aware, knowing that he probably couldn't defeat the Han army.

Therefore, their only idea was to use the navy's advantage to cut off the Han army's supply lines and retreat routes, thereby forcing the Han army to retreat.

The idea was good, but unfortunately the Han army had already anticipated it.

Several hours before the Han army landed in Hangzhou, Cai Qian's pirate fleet had already entered Hangzhou Bay and engaged in a fierce battle with the Zhejiang navy at Zhapu.

The Zhapu navy was outnumbered and defeated by the massive pirate fleet brought by Cai. Thirteen of their warships were sunk, and the rest fled in panic.

Prior to this, the Ningbo Navy, which was entrenched in Zhoushan, had just been surrounded and brutally beaten by Cai Qian, who also captured and seized three large ships.

Fan Jianzhong finalized the plan, and just as Hangzhou sent out the messenger requesting help, the messenger returned to report.

"The Qiantang River has been blocked by pirates!?" Fan Jianzhong asked incredulously.

The messenger, forcing a smile, replied, "Not only is the Qiantang River blockaded by pirates, but these pirates are also flying flags with Chinese characters."

In the Qing Dynasty's southern regions, the use of Chinese characters on flags had essentially become synonymous with "traitors to the Han people." Anyone who saw a flag with Chinese characters was either a traitor to the Han people or a subordinate of them.

Fan Jianzhong's vision blurred for a moment, and he asked urgently, "Are you sure you're not mistaken? Besides the Chinese character flag, is there anything else?"

The messenger said, "There is also a large flag with the character 'Cai' on it, alongside the flag with the character 'Han' on it."

Well, Fan Jianzhong's anxiety has finally died down.

Others might not know the name of the flag, but he knew it very well. It was the flag of Cai Qian, the pirate king of Fujian and Zhejiang.

Then it's not surprising. No wonder the other side dared to blockade the Qiantang River. If it's someone like that, it wouldn't be surprising if he sailed his pirate ship to the Fujian naval base.

Because this guy really has the ability to go head-to-head with the Fujian Navy and not be at a disadvantage.

Fan Jianzhong wanted to say something, but before he could open his mouth, he suddenly tasted a metallic sweetness in his throat.

"puff!"

He spat out a mouthful of blood and then collapsed to the ground.

When the attendants realized what was happening, they stepped forward to help him up and checked his breathing.

Is it out of breath?
died!

Fan Jianzhong, the Hangzhou general, was already terminally ill and had only a few months left to live. Then, Pang Wencai led him to take large amounts of opium for pain relief.

This stuff is poisonous; even inhaling it depletes one's vital energy, let alone taking it orally.

The long-term effects of opium use, coupled with his already serious illness and the continuous mental stress he suffered, finally broke him, and he suddenly vomited blood and died.

His death was sudden, yet perfectly reasonable.

Although he lived a few months less than historical figures, at least he didn't die in as much pain. Taking opium did have some "benefits," as it provided pain relief.

Fan Jianzhong's sudden death startled the officials in Hangzhou, who had been counting on him to help fight the war and defend the city. How could he have died so suddenly?

It's a relief that this guy is dead, but what about Hangzhou?
What to do about the entire city of Hangzhou?
The Zhejiang Provincial Governor, Qing Antai, was a Manchu, and naturally dared not surrender. Seeing that Fan Jianzhong was dying, he quickly reacted and said, "General Fan died in the line of duty. I have now taken over the defense of Hangzhou. Quickly send men to carry away the general's body and make proper arrangements. Also, you should immediately summon the wealthy families in the city and the Manchu Eight Banners garrison. Let us discuss how to defend the city."

"Yes!"

The reaction was indeed swift. Wang Kun, the Zhejiang Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, Ding Si, the Hangzhou Prefect, and other officials, both high and low, were caught off guard and hastily accepted their orders to leave and carry out their duties.

Just as he descended the city wall, Wang Kun suddenly stopped, turned around, and asked, "Do you all wish to surrender?"

"We dare not." The officials, unaware of the situation, hurriedly bowed in fear.

Wang Kun shook his head: "You dare not, but I do. Fan Jianzhong is dead, the 2000 Eight Banners troops in Hangzhou are leaderless, and the wealthy families are probably unreliable. It seems that Hangzhou cannot be defended. If you dare not surrender, then run away now! It's not worth it to die with Hangzhou."

Upon hearing Wang Kun's words, all the officials were at a loss for words.

Wang Kun suddenly laughed and said, “We are all officials from the South, so we should know that the Han traitors are not so bad. Besides, although you are a bit greedy, it was all because of the Eight Banners in the city that you were forced to do this. We have also made great contributions in surrendering the city, so we will definitely be able to keep our lives and property. We might even be able to make merit and continue to serve as officials.”

That makes sense. They dared not surrender because they were afraid of being purged by the Han traitors, who disliked corrupt officials.

But since their greed was "forced" by the Eight Banners and they had made a great contribution by surrendering the city, there was no problem.

"We are willing to follow Your Excellency!" the officials shouted in unison.

Qing Antai, the Zhejiang Provincial Governor, never expected that the officials he had just sent down to Hangzhou to prepare for the defense of the city would turn around and agree to surrender, completely ignoring Qing Antai, the Provincial Governor.

There was no other way; although Qing Antai was the Provincial Treasurer of Zhejiang, he was only temporarily filling in.

Because the original Zhejiang Provincial Governor's ancestral home was in Jiangxi, Emperor Jiaqing was not comfortable using him and had no choice but to replace him.

Qing Antai was not only ignored, but was even about to be sold out. After Wang Kun and his men agreed to surrender, they planned to arrest Qing Antai as a pledge of loyalty for surrendering the city.

The 2000 Manchu soldiers in Hangzhou still don't know what happened to them.
They were still huddled on various sections of the city wall, holding tobacco and opium, puffing away happily.

(End of this chapter)