There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 365 Jiaqing Asks for Advice (Part Two)

Zhenjiang is located at the north-south dividing line between the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal, making it an absolute north-south hub on the waterway for grain transport.

With the loss of Zhenjiang, the canal transport system in the south was essentially rendered useless.

Tie Bao and Kang Jitian, one in charge of the waterway and the other in charge of the canal transport, are certainly not exempt from being implicated in the crime.

If we can't escape, then we can't escape!
In any case, they dared not engage the Han army in direct combat. They couldn't even hold the fortified city of Nanjing, let alone Zhenjiang, which was behind Nanjing. Moreover, Gengyinsu and Ailonga, who had escaped from Nanjing, had informed them that the Han army had 30,000 elite troops.

They don't even have 10,000 capable soldiers, let alone 30,000 elite troops. Going into open field battle would be no different from sending them to their deaths.

Kang Jitian and Tie Bao ran very fast. In order to prevent the Han army navy from catching up, they even scuttled and burned several large grain transport ships and blocked the entrance of the Grand Canal.

The Qing army fled to Yangzhou, but the prefect of Yangzhou, unaware of the situation, opened the city gates to welcome the army into the city.

Then, the guy died, with Tie Bao, the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, personally wielding the knife.

After killing the prefect of Yangzhou, the Qing army immediately began burning, killing, and looting throughout the city, primarily targeting wealthy families, salt merchants, and other powerful figures.

It is common knowledge that Yangzhou salt merchants were wealthy. Even the Thirteen Factories of Guangzhou, which rose to prominence during the Qianlong era, were slightly inferior to the salt merchants at that time, and it was not until several decades later that their wealth slightly surpassed that of the salt merchants.

Kang Jitian and Tie Bao actually started looting Yangzhou. It wasn't that they were crazy, but that they were certain that Yangzhou couldn't be defended and that the Han army wouldn't let go of this important water transport town.

Instead of doing that, they might as well plunder Yangzhou first. After all, once the Han army takes Yangzhou, they can shift all the blame onto the Han army.

The silver they plundered was real; it was enough to feed all the soldiers and officers and to bind them all together.

The extra silver could be used to bribe high-ranking Manchu and Han officials in the court, and to build more connections so that even if the Emperor blamed them later, there would be someone to speak up for them.

After the Han army cleared away the sunken ships and debris blocking the mouth of the canal, they proceeded by both land and water northward along the canal to Yangzhou.

The Qing army had already sailed away, leaving behind only a dilapidated city that had just been looted.

Wang Yong, who was leading his troops northward along the Grand Canal, saw the devastation left by the looting of Yangzhou and immediately cursed, "The Tartars are Tartars! They even loot their own city!"

Fang Jie walked over and said, "I arrived by boat before you and have already surveyed the entire city. Although the Qing dogs have been looting and killing the prefect of Yangzhou, trying to pin all this trouble on our Han army, fortunately they haven't bothered the civilians much. The only ones who have suffered are the wealthy families and the rich salt merchants."

Under normal circumstances, the Qing army would not have been so well-behaved. Since it was a campaign of burning, killing, and looting, they would have burned houses and raped and killed women wherever they saw them.

It can only be said that it was fortunate that Yangzhou and Zhenjiang were too close, and that the salt merchants and wealthy families in Yangzhou were too rich, so the Qing army did not have much time to plunder civilians.

With the Han army right behind them, the Qing army had no choice but to seize the time to plunder wealthy salt merchants and households, prioritizing the looting of silver and grain, with women being secondary. Once they had looted everything, they had to run away immediately, as the longer they delayed, the more dangerous it would be.

"This is the situation in Yangzhou. What do the General and the King say?" Wang Yong asked.

Fang Jie said, "The King and the General have said that since Yangzhou is like this, then one garrison should be left here to cooperate with the locals in distributing land and freeing slaves. The other garrison will go north with the navy to take Gaoyou. The Qing army doesn't even dare to defend Zhenjiang and Yangzhou, so they probably won't dare to defend Gaoyou either. Once we take Gaoyou, this Jiangnan region will belong to our Great Han!"

For the Han army, although the Qing army's plunder of Yangzhou resulted in the loss of the salt merchants' wealth, it also indirectly helped the Han army eliminate the deeply entrenched powerful clans in Yangzhou. The few who managed to survive had virtually no chance of rising up again and forming a force.

The Han dynasty found it easier to implement land redistribution reforms in Yangzhou than in Nanjing and Zhenjiang.

The two men briefly discussed the matter, and decided that Fang Jie's Han army would stay in Yangzhou to help restore order and security to the city, while also assisting the people of Yangzhou in redistributing land and freeing slaves to appease the populace.

Meanwhile, Wang Yong's Han troops changed shifts and boarded the navy's warships, continuing their northward journey by water to capture Gaoyou Prefecture.

Gaoyou was the last city at the end of the Huai River. Taking it would essentially mean the collapse of the Qing dynasty's rule over Jiangnan.

The remaining Huai'an, Xuzhou, and Haizhou already belong to the Jiangbei region. Even if they were still in the hands of the puppet Qing dynasty, they would be of little use. Their fiscal revenue would be far less than that of the Jiangnan region, and their strategic value would only serve as a check and balance.

In fact, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom also captured Nanjing back then, and the Qing army had to establish the Jiangbei Camp in Jiangbei. However, the Jiangbei Camp could only contain the Taiping army, and it was a breakthrough in using the camp to contain the Taiping army.

The Taiping army wasted a lot of time and repeatedly defeated the Qing army's Jiangbei camp.

On their way north, the Qing army passed through Gaoyou and tried to repeat the Yangzhou operation. However, Gaoyou somehow got wind of the plan and kept its city gates tightly shut. They even shot and killed the messenger sent by Kang Jitian to deliver the message.

Seeing that he could not enter the city, Kang Jitian decided not to waste any more time and led his army to flee north to Huai'an Prefecture.

……

Upon returning to Huai'an, the Qing army immediately deployed iron chains across the river, buried a large number of hidden hooks in the river channel, and sank ships loaded with silt to completely block the river mouth.

After blocking the canal, Kang Jitian and Tie Bao used money and grain to recruit young and strong laborers from Huai'an Prefecture, organizing them into an army to expand Huai'an Prefecture's military defense capabilities.

After everything was done, the two of them began to write a letter of apology together.

Regarding the wording of their memorials, they specially summoned their respective advisory groups to polish and consult for a whole day and night, almost using the subtle and euphemistic style of writing to its fullest extent.

Anyway, the final petition of apology was sent to Beijing in just fifteen days, which was still relatively slow.

Because along with the memorial were also boxes of bribe money, not for Emperor Jiaqing, but for the Manchu and Han officials in the court.

Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.

To encourage his officials and generals to fight well, and also because his own lust for power had not yet subsided, Emperor Jiaqing continued to live in the somewhat cramped Qianqing Palace, instead of moving to the more spacious and comfortable Yuanmingyuan.

With trembling hands, Emperor Jiaqing finished reading the joint memorial of apology from Kang Jitian and Tiebao. He took a deep breath and asked, "What exactly happened? I clearly appointed a new General of Jiangning, granted the Governor-General of the Jiangnan Waterways and the Governor-General of the Grand Canal expediency, and exempted the Jiangnan region from some taxes for the past two years. How could it be that in such a short time, we have lost both Jiangning and Yangzhou?"

The voice was soft, the tone was not heavy, and it was even quite calm.

However, all the Manchu and Han officials present who were summoned to the audience knelt on the ground without exception, not daring to say a word.

Emperor Jiaqing was indeed a "benevolent emperor," a famously good-tempered (and easy-to-bully) emperor of the pseudo-Qing dynasty. But being good-tempered doesn't mean he had no temper.

Moreover, Jiaqing had only been in power for a year at this time, and his weak nature had not yet been fully exposed.

However, several Northwest officials who had been dismissed and investigated earlier, as well as Wu Xiong Guang, the former governor of Henan who was imprisoned last year, have been successively exempted from exile and recalled by Emperor Jiaqing.

The signs of Emperor Jiaqing's "benevolent" nature were beginning to emerge, and some astute officials who were good at understanding people's hearts had already vaguely sensed it, but they could not be sure yet.

Seeing that no one answered, Jiaqing simply called on him directly: "My dear minister Dong, tell me, what is the current situation in Jiangnan?"

Upon hearing this, Dong Gao felt helpless. The main reason he was able to lead the Grand Council in the new Jiaqing dynasty as a veteran official of the Qianlong era was that he was a very stable official. He did not interfere in affairs, did not form cliques, and did not embezzle. Whether he was a capable minister or not was not important, but he was definitely an honest and solitary minister.

This was also the main reason for the failure of Jiaqing's reforms in the later period. The main purpose of Jiaqing's reforms was to ensure that officials were honest and upright.

All the officials and ministers promoted during the Jiaqing reign were honest and upright, capable and honest, and honest in their work.

At its most outrageous, some new prefects would even discard all the belongings of the corrupt and dismissed prefects in order to establish an image of incorruptibility, thus demonstrating that they had distanced themselves from corruption.

When Emperor Jiaqing heard this, he was greatly impressed. After that... nothing more happened. Local officials continued to be corrupt, but the honest prefects were not given any money.

You can be greedy, I'll keep my integrity. You want money, I want a future and fame.

Dong Hao, a veteran official, was called upon by Emperor Jiaqing and had no choice but to speak. After a moment's deliberation, he said, "The current situation in Jiangnan is such that the rise of the puppet Han regime is a foregone conclusion. With the loss of Jiangning, Zhenjiang, and Yangzhou, it is feared that Fujian, Zhejiang, and Anhui will also be difficult to defend. The disruption of the Grand Canal is a fait accompli. The most urgent task is to immediately redeploy the defenses in Huai'an Prefecture, block the Grand Canal, and stop the puppet Han rebels from advancing north."

Emperor Jiaqing said, "These are wise words for governing the country, but the pseudo-Han people are growing powerful in Jiangnan. Kang Jitian, the Governor-General of the Jiangnan Waterways, and Tie Bao, the Governor-General of the Grand Canal, are also to blame! How should we deal with these two?"

"No punishment!"

Having been forced to express his opinion, Dong Gao had no more reservations and continued, "Not only should they not be punished, but an imperial edict should be issued to appease and comfort them. According to the battle report, the fall of Jiangnan was indeed not due to a lack of combat skills. Moreover, Kang Jitian, the Governor of the Jiangnan Waterways, and Tie Bao, the Governor of the Grand Canal, were neither major generals. It was commendable that they dared to send troops to rescue Jiangning after learning of its fall. Furthermore, the loss of Jiangning was not their fault. If they are punished for this, the morale of the Jiangbei army will definitely be affected, which would be a greater loss than a gain!"

Jiaqing was somewhat unwilling: "But if we don't punish them, are we just going to lose Jiangning, Zhenjiang, and Yangzhou like this?"

"We can first issue an imperial edict reprimanding the two, and then order them to atone for their crimes through meritorious service," Dong Gao suggested as a compromise.

When Jiaqing heard this, he was reluctant to agree, but he was also afraid that if he were really imprisoned, it would discourage the true loyal ministers of the Qing Dynasty.

After much deliberation, Jiaqing asked the Manchu and Han officials of the Six Ministries, "What do you think?"

"I believe that what Prime Minister Dong said is absolutely right."

"This servant has no objection."

"I believe that Governors Kang Jitian and Tie Bao have done their best and should not be punished; on the contrary, they have rendered meritorious service."

"This servant believes that the blame for this battle lies entirely with General Fu Chang of Jiangning. Please punish General Fu Chang for the crime of losing the city and territory!"

"This servant begs to punish General Fu Chang of Jiangning!"

"This scoundrel Fu Chang is utterly wicked. Not only did he die, but he also lost Jiangning and caused the deaths of thousands of our Great Qing's Eight Banners soldiers..."

"..."

They had initially only been discussing how to deal with Kang Jitian and Tiebao, but the conversation gradually drifted to the deceased Jiangning General Fu Chang, and the blame was shifted to him. A large portion of these individuals had accepted bribes from Kang Jitian and Tiebao to plead for them, while a smaller portion were simply playing along depending on the prevailing winds.

Only Dong Gao, this veteran official, offered what he considered a sound perspective solely from the viewpoint of national politics.

But even this prudent view is like drinking poison to quench thirst; it's something we still have to do.

Emperor Jiaqing's experience was very similar to that of Emperor Chongzhen. Both of them were chosen to ascend the throne by chance, relying solely on their late birth, outliving their brothers who were vying for the throne, their young age, filial piety, and lack of cunning and ability. This is why they were chosen by Emperor Qianlong to succeed them in his later years.

The consequence of this was that Jiaqing became known as "Emperor Renzong of Qing". It cannot be said that he was completely incompetent, but it is fair to say that Jiaqing's abilities were indeed too much to ask of him to be emperor.

He lacked both absolute authority and ruthlessness, and was even hesitant to commit murder or exile.

The situation is similar now. It seems that neither the Manchu nor Han officials have any objections, and some even believe that General Fu Chang of Jiangning should be punished.

After hesitating for a long time, Jiaqing said, "In that case, let's do as Elder Dong said and allow Kang Jitian, the Governor-General of the Jiangnan Waterways, and Tie Bao, the Governor-General of the Grand Canal, to atone for their crimes by performing meritorious service."

After saying that, he paused and then said, "As for General Fu Chang of Jiangning, although he carelessly lost Jiangning, which led to the deterioration of the situation in Jiangnan, he also died in battle for his country. Therefore, he was granted the title of First-Class Adahahafan, and his son was granted an admission to the Imperial Academy."

Good heavens, first they said Fu Chang was guilty, and then not only did they not punish him, they even gave him a title and a hereditary privilege.

He was so kind and benevolent, truly a benevolent ruler for all time!

"Your Majesty!"

The Manchu and Han officials knelt down and shouted in unison.

Jiaqing then asked, "Jiangning and Yangzhou have both fallen, and half of Jiangnan is gone. What do you think, Elder Dong, should do next to suppress the false Han?"

Emperor Jiaqing's question stumped Dong Gao.

How else can we eradicate them?
The Han Dynasty has already captured Nanjing and Yangzhou, and basically the area south of the Huai River has become the Han Dynasty's territory. If they were to be even more aggressive, they should be declaring themselves emperors next.

The most obvious manifestation of this on the side of the puppet Qing dynasty is that last year, including the Qing emperor Jiaqing, everyone on the puppet Qing side called the Han people "traitors to the Han," but this year they have started to call them "pseudo-Han."

A word difference is a world of difference!

Emperor Jiaqing was simply incompetent and overly "benevolent," not truly foolish.

Seeing that the Han Dynasty has even captured Nanjing, if we still regard the Han Dynasty as a bandit like the White Lotus Rebellion, then our Qing Dynasty is doomed.

After a moment of contemplation, Dong Gao cautiously replied, "In my opinion, although the pseudo-Han regime has occupied Jiangnan and appears powerful, its foundation is unstable, and it certainly cannot wage war for the next year or two. Our Great Qing still has a million elite troops and strategically important terrain. We only need to quell the White Lotus Rebellion in Henan, Sichuan, and Shaanxi first, then allow the people to recuperate, accumulate wealth and provisions, and then send a large army to suppress the pseudo-Han regime in Jiangnan!"

What he said was correct, but it was all correct nonsense, basically equivalent to saying nothing at all.

Emperor Jiaqing understood the implication but did not make things difficult for Dong Gao. Instead, he asked the other Han officials and lackeys, "What do you think?"

Fu Sen, the Minister of War and concurrently a member of the Grand Council and the Southern Study, suddenly said, "This servant believes that what Prime Minister Dong said is wrong. The pseudo-Han people have occupied Jiangnan and have become a major threat to our Great Qing. We should send the Solon Legion south immediately to quell the rebellion!"

Dong Gao remained silent, but the Minister of Revenue, Buyandalai, retorted, "What about grain? We're already stretched thin fighting the White Lotus Rebellion, are we going to fight on two fronts?"

Fu Sen said, "Then let's not fight the White Lotus rebels for now, let's focus all our efforts on attacking the traitorous Han traitors in Jiangnan!"

Buyandalai said, "That's easy for you to say. How much money, grain, and troops has our Great Qing invested in Henan, Sichuan, and Shaanxi? The Emperor has also transferred the Solon tribe to the south. How can we just stop fighting like this? Even if we don't fight, do you think the White Lotus rebels won't follow suit?"

Fu Sen suddenly asked, "Is it because Minister Buyandalai is so opposed that the accounts of silver in the national treasury don't match up, which is why he doesn't dare to fight?"
Buyandalai was furious on the spot: "Fu Sen, don't make false accusations!"

The Han official Dai Quheng, who was kneeling beside him, also changed his expression drastically. He quickly knelt down and said in a tearful voice, "Your Majesty, Minister Buyandalai and I have worked diligently in the Ministry of Revenue and have not embezzled a single penny of the national treasury, yet we have been maliciously attacked by Lord Fu (a common way for Han officials to refer to someone as Lord He). I...I am truly wronged. I wish to resign and return to my hometown to express my grievances. I beg Your Majesty to grant my request!"

This was a brilliant move of feigning retreat to advance, especially the last phrase, "Long live the Emperor," which struck a chord with Jiaqing.

Although Emperor Jiaqing knew that the Ministry of Revenue might have problems, he couldn't resist his soft heart and raised his hand, saying, "Minister Dai, please excuse yourself from the formalities. I naturally believe that the Ministry of Revenue is fair and honest. As for Minister Fu Sen, he was only thinking of the country and made a mistake in a moment of panic. Let's just drop the matter of his resignation and never mention it again!"

In just a few words, he was trying to smooth things over, and even showed some bias, directly defining Fu Sen's words as something he had said wrong.

Of course, Fu Sen was also aware of the problem. There was definitely something wrong with the Ministry of Revenue, and everyone knew there was something wrong.

But who are involved in these issues, and how many high-ranking Manchu and Han officials are involved? These are not things that Fu Sen, who has just entered the Grand Council and is still considered a rising star in the Grand Council, can easily accuse.

Fu Sen quickly seized the opportunity to back down, saying that he had only spoken without thinking.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

All the Han officials and servants knelt down in unison.

This "minor matter" was quickly put to rest, and everyone tacitly stopped paying attention to the Ministry of Revenue.

The Ministry of Revenue's problems were over, but Jiaqing's problems remained unresolved. His previous concern was how to quickly deal with the Han, or at least curb their continued expansion, rather than debating whether to attack the White Lotus Rebellion or the Han first.

The atmosphere instantly turned cold, because no one spoke.

"Cough cough!"

Emperor Jiaqing coughed quickly, then glanced at the Manchu and Han officials kneeling below.

"Minister Wang, do you have any good ideas?"

Emperor Jiaqing was personally selecting people again, and the one selected was Wang Jie, a Grand Secretary of the Dongge Pavilion.

Wang Jie said, "This old minister believes that we should transfer the army of Governor-General Na Yancheng of Sichuan and Shaanxi to Sichuan to first quell the White Lotus Rebellion. As long as Sichuan is stable, it can provide our Great Qing with a continuous supply of money and grain, allowing us to continue training and expanding our army. Alternatively, it can contain the puppet Han regime in Huguang from both Sichuan and Shaanxi. Huguang is the granary of the country and the foundation of the puppet Han regime. If Huguang is unstable, the puppet Han regime will find it difficult to gain power. At that time, our Great Qing will only need to use both suppression and appeasement to completely pacify the puppet Han regime!"

"This method is excellent!" Finally finding a seemingly feasible solution, Jiaqing was overjoyed and hurriedly said, "Immediately issue an edict to Shaanxi, ordering the Governor-General of Sichuan and Shaanxi, Na Yancheng, to immediately dispatch troops to Sichuan. His army should have been training for about a year, and it's about time they went into actual combat to quell the rebellion and bandits for our Great Qing and make a name for themselves!"

Because Wang Cong'er led the White Lotus Sect away from Shaanxi and returned to Huguang to join the Han Dynasty, only a few scattered sect members and bandits remained in Shaanxi, which allowed Na Yancheng to hold out until now and even defeat and wipe out several weak bandit groups.

This arrangement, ironically, prevented Na Yancheng's true abilities from being exposed. In fact, the memorials Na Yancheng had submitted earlier made Jiaqing believe that Na Yancheng was indeed a worthy son of the emperor, a capable and courageous general.

Now, Emperor Jiaqing ordered Na Yancheng to lead Shaanxi troops south into Sichuan to quell Zhang Zhengmo's rebel army.

It's hard to say exactly how the battle would turn out, but historically speaking, Yan Cheng also trained his troops in Shaanxi for several years. After all the capable generals like Ming Liang were transferred away, he was thoroughly defeated by the White Lotus rabble that came to attack.

After that, there is no more.

Jiaqing felt deceived, so he stripped Na Yancheng of all his power. Although he was later reinstated, he gradually lost his influence.

In this timeline, Na Yancheng also lacked capable military commanders. He spent a year or two training troops in Shaanxi, and he did his best, but whether he achieved anything significant, he didn't know.

Even if he develops a reputation for skill, he doesn't know how to fight, and few of his soldiers have seen blood. If he were to fight against Zhang Zhengmo's righteous army, which has undergone a complete reorganization and reform and is no longer a simple religious bandit army, but has also imitated the Han Dynasty's land redistribution and slave release, it's really hard to say who would win.

When two armies meet on a narrow path, the brave will prevail. One side is the civilian army that has fought in battles, and the other side is the government army that has never fought in battles. The rebel army has land allocated to them, while the government army only has food and pay. It is only through Na Yancheng's efforts to restrain them that they can barely receive 70% or 80% of their pay.

Ha ha.

Having finished discussing these state affairs, Ji Xiaolan, the Han Minister of Rites, suddenly said, "Your Majesty, a major case concerning the rites has recently occurred in the counties surrounding the capital. I am unsure whether I should speak about it or not."

"Speak freely." Jiaqing understood what the other party meant; it was simply that the case might be somewhat sensitive, and whether it could be discussed publicly.

Now that the Qing Dynasty is facing a national crisis, what can't be said openly? In fact, those kneeling here are all high-ranking officials from the Six Ministries of the Qing Dynasty, all of whom are capable officials of the country.

Ji Xiaolan was still somewhat hesitant. After a long pause, he took out a square object wrapped tightly in cloth. It looked like... a book?

Zhang Jinzhong, the chief eunuch of Emperor Jiaqing, stepped forward, took the cloth-wrapped book, and without opening it, slowly presented it to Emperor Jiaqing.

The Manchu and Han officials present were all curious, and Emperor Jiaqing was equally curious.

First, they subtly asked if it could be made public, but now all the books they've brought out are wrapped in cloth. What kind of book could be so mysterious?
Could it be some kind of anti-Chinese book?
Emperor Jiaqing reached out and peeled back the layers of cloth, revealing five simplified Chinese characters on the cover of the blue book: "The Biography of the Erotic Monks of the Qing Dynasty".

Emperor Jiaqing was stunned for a moment. Zhang Jinzhong, who had been keeping his head down, also glanced at the scene and was stunned as well, but he quickly composed himself.

Jiaqing hurriedly opened the book and quickly scanned it. After a short while, he abruptly closed the book: "Minister Ji, where did you get this evil book?"

Ji Xiaolan said, "I was unaware of this. I only heard that the book had been circulating in the outskirts of the capital. I then sent people to investigate and search everywhere, which is how I discovered the book and the printing house owner behind it! According to his confession, the book has been widely circulated, and it seems that it has been printed in half of Zhili Province, and..."

"And what?"

"And sales seem to be pretty good."

……

(End of this chapter)