There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 358 Siege of Nanjing

Jiangning City, no, it should now be called Nanjing City.

Nanjing was now besieged by the Han army.

In the past, it was a place where tigers crouched and dragons coiled, adorned with yellow flags and purple aura

This refers to Nanjing. Regardless of whether the ancient capital of six dynasties was auspicious or not, Nanjing was indeed the best choice for southern regimes to establish their capitals.

Decades later, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom attacked the already weakened city of Nanjing with an army of over 100,000 (claiming to be 500,000), exerting tremendous effort and even resorting to explosive tactics such as blowing up coffins to destroy the city.

They failed once, bombing the city only to be pushed back. It wasn't until the second attempt to bomb the city and launch a strong attack that they finally captured Nanjing.

Such a defense demonstrates just how difficult it was to breach the defenses of Nanjing!
Although the Eight Banners of Jiangning were already corrupt and decadent, the Han army was ready to kill. The women and children of the Eight Banners might survive, but the ordinary Eight Banners would be turned into yo-yos.

Driven by a strong will to survive, these corrupt Jiangning Eight Banners soldiers, along with the more than two thousand Xuzhou Green Standard Army soldiers brought by Ailonga, were truly united in their hatred of the enemy.

However, the effect of sharing a common hatred against the enemy was not significant, because the Qing army forces in Jiangning Prefecture were too small.

The city of Jiangning had 4300 Jiangning Eight Banners soldiers. Even with the addition of the Xuzhou Garrison Green Standard Army supported by Ailonga, the total strength was just over 6,000.

What can six thousand Qing soldiers do?
Jiangning General Fuchang was a newly arrived general. The Governor-General of Liangjiang, Li Fenghan, died in battle, and Jiaqing did not send a new governor-general, which meant that Fuchang had little say in recruiting soldiers.

If he dares to recruit soldiers, even if he wins the war, his political future will be completely ruined.

The city of Jiangning had only 6,000 Qing troops, while the Han troops besieging the city numbered more than 30,000.

With 30,000 troops fighting against 6,000, the difference in troop strength was five times.

The pressure on morale and fighting spirit among the troops was immense.

Fu Chang looked at the dense Han army camps outside the city, which had almost completely surrounded Nanjing. Even on the water, countless ships were patrolling, each flying the Han flag.

These were not all warships of the Han navy; a considerable number of them were civilian and merchant ships requisitioned by the Han navy.

But Fu Chang didn't know that!
The Eight Banners and Green Standard Army soldiers under Fu Chang and Ai Long A were also unaware of this. They only thought that the Han army's navy had become so powerful that its warships were crisscrossed and that it had completely controlled the entire Yangtze River.

How can we fight now?
There's absolutely no way to fight this!

Ailonga said anxiously, "What should we do now? The Han traitors' army has already surrounded Nanjing, and they've completely surrounded it. Not even a fly can get out. We've lost all contact with the outside world, and we can't even ask for help."

Fu Chang, equally troubled, pondered for a long time before asking, "If we hold out to the death, what are the chances of victory for our six thousand soldiers?"

Elon was incredulous upon hearing this, and replied with a dark face, "Six thousand against thirty thousand, do you think they can win?"

“But we are defending the city! Isn’t it said that to defend a city, you only need to attack one or two tenths of the city to keep it safe?” Fu Chang was still somewhat unwilling to give up.

Upon hearing this, Ailonga realized that this guy truly didn't understand military affairs. How could His Majesty send such a fool to be the General of Jiangning... Oh, it seems that the Eight Banners of Jiangning themselves are rotten to the core. Whether the General of Jiangning understands warfare or not doesn't really matter.

That’s okay!

Elon said helplessly, "Normally, that's true, but these are all ideal situations in military books. In actual battles, we also have to consider the morale of the troops and the size of the city. We are defending the huge city of Jiangning. How can six thousand people defend it? And do you need to ask me about the morale of our troops?"

The words were quite clear; even someone as ignorant as Fu Chang could understand them.

Indeed, the morale of their own troops is not entirely nonexistent; it's just that they haven't collapsed yet, and they're only holding on because they're afraid of dying.

But defending a city requires soldiers who are not afraid to die and dare to fight. Relying on an army that only surrendered because they were afraid of death, and then making them who are not afraid to die defend the city, isn't that just a battle between the left and right brains?
Fu Chang remained silent, but Ai Long'a had no choice but to speak.

Ailonga said seriously, "Six thousand garrison troops are definitely not enough to hold the city unless the Governor-General of the Jiangnan Waterways and the Governor-General of the Grand Canal bring troops to its aid immediately. Even if they do come, it is still uncertain whether they can defeat the Han traitors. The most urgent task is to defend Jiangning. Six thousand men are definitely not enough. We must recruit soldiers, at least ten thousand local militia and laborers."

Fu Chang thought Ai Long A had some brilliant idea, but after all that, he still wanted to recruit soldiers. But he didn't dare to recruit soldiers; recruiting soldiers didn't guarantee victory, and even if he did, countless people in the court would surely criticize him.

Defending Nanjing was indeed a meritorious achievement, but privately recruiting soldiers beyond one's authority was also a serious crime.

Today they dare to overstep their authority to recruit soldiers, tomorrow they will dare to rebel and seize power. The puppet Qing dynasty not only likes to guard against the Han, but also against the Mongols and Manchus. As long as they can preserve the power of the old Qing dynasty, everyone is a slave, a dog slave who can be sold and sacrificed.

Fu Chang pondered for a long time, even considering the onset of his addiction, but still couldn't make up his mind.

Fu Chang dared not recruit soldiers, and instead went to the city tower to smoke and avoid the topic. Although Ai Long A wanted to slap Fu Chang, he also dared not recruit soldiers.

If Fu Chang were to privately recruit soldiers, he would at least be the General of Jiangning, and could explain it as being in the absence of a governor, and that he was doing this to defend Jiangning.

He is guilty, but not seriously, and can still be spared.

Ailon Agan is recruiting soldiers, so what are you planning to do?
You are only the garrison commander of Xuzhou. Although you are a Manchu, you have gone too far. You have overstepped your authority by too much, and it is difficult for you not to be suspected. Even if you are not suspected, you will still be suspected.

What if other Manchus follow suit?
After all, starting from the late Qianlong period, the Qing Dynasty began to reduce the number of Manchus and remove them from the banner system. The stated reason was that it was for the good of the Manchus and that they should be able to become self-reliant.

But actually?
The Eight Banners that were cut were all Han and Mongol banners; none of the Manchu banners were cut, and in fact, their numbers were increasing.

Ha ha.

This person wants to be superior to others without involving other Manchus. They really know how to play the game, and their abstract ideas are also truly abstract!
The White Lotus Rebellion, which attacked Beijing in the mid-Jiaqing period, included many Manchu bannermen and bondservants who had been dismissed from their posts.

Ailonga and Fuchang parted on bad terms. Fuchang huddled in the city tower smoking opium, while Ailonga also found a place to curl up and smoke opium to relax and soothe his mood.

I must say, this combination of ** and tobacco is truly heavenly!

While these two supreme commanders of Nanjing were indulging in smoking and living a life of debauchery...

In the city, there is a grand mansion.

Chen Lin is meeting with several prominent families, gentry, grain merchants, and salt merchants.

Chen Lin spoke first: "The Prince of Han has personally come to Nanjing and led 50,000 elite troops, completely besieging the city. Huainan and Zhejiang have also fallen, and the royal armies from these two places are also gathering forces. At that time, there will be 100,000 troops besieging Nanjing, and the city will no longer be able to hold out!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was first taken aback, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

They were all gentry and merchants who had previously contacted Chen Lin, indicating their willingness to cooperate with the revolution.

Now the Han army has finally arrived, with the King of Han personally leading an army of 100,000, though the actual number may not be that many. But even if it's not 100,000, it's at least 50,000. With 50,000 troops attacking Nanjing, Nanjing certainly can't withstand it.

The group exchanged glances, and one of the older gentlemen asked, "What does Manager Chen want us to do?"

Chen Lin laughed and said, "Nanjing is too big. If our army launches a strong attack, there will likely be many casualties. Moreover, it's hard to guarantee that the Qing army won't resort to desperate measures and take the opportunity to massacre and destroy Nanjing, causing unnecessary losses to our Han Dynasty. Therefore, in this battle, in addition to our army's outer defense, we must also coordinate from the inside and outside to jointly plan and capture the city!"

Another gentryman frowned and reminded us: "But the government... the Qing army does not recruit soldiers in the city. General Fu Chang of Jiangning is a coward. He dares not take responsibility for recruiting soldiers. We have no soldiers at our disposal, so it may be difficult for us to take action!"

Chen Lin shook his head: "If the puppet Qing doesn't recruit soldiers from you, can't you do it yourselves on your own?"

"But……"

Chen Lin waved his hand to interrupt: "I know you are afraid, but this is a war to attack a city. There are risks and deaths. Besides, I don't need you to do too much. Just gather a few men, and when our army attacks the city from the outside, we will set fires all over the city to create chaos. When the Qing army finds out that there are spies in the city, they will inevitably lose their composure."

"As for whether the Qing army will discover our recruitment, they will find out sooner or later. But if we launch our attack at noon, we can seize the city before they find out."

If we'll find it sooner or later, then let's take action at noon?
This joke is pretty lame, but the point it makes is very clear.

Of course, they would be discovered if they recruited soldiers privately, but they weren't going to keep recruiting and waiting. Once they had enough soldiers, they would just launch a raid on the city and then there would be no problem.
The group's minds were instantly opened, and they finally stopped being hesitant and timid.

The gentry who had asked the first question nodded: "Don't worry, Manager Chen, we will go back and recruit as many able-bodied men as possible under the guise of guards and servants. We also ask that the royal army and heavenly soldiers act as soon as possible."

"Yes, also, when setting fires, you are not allowed to burn down private houses at will. Even if you do burn down a private house, you will have to pay compensation."

"..."

(End of this chapter)