There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 376 The Rules of the King of Han

The whole city.

They have already begun recruiting local craftsmen to prepare for the demolition of the unsightly walls of the former Eight Banners garrison.

Although the Ministry of Works has not yet produced the restoration plans for the Forbidden City, and the relevant financial budget has not yet been approved by the Ministry of Revenue, the initial demolition of the Manchu city walls can begin.

There were no specific rules; all the city wall structures built after the Qing dynasty were completely demolished. The salvaged building materials could be used to repair civilian houses or stored up for the restoration of palaces.

This single demolition of Mancheng created a large number of jobs, allowing the remaining homeless and beggar residents of Nanjing who were difficult to dilute to participate in the demolition and reconstruction project.

Even after the project is completed, these beggars and vagrants can learn a skill so that they won't have to revert to begging and other unproductive activities when the government stops hiring.

While demolition and construction projects were in full swing throughout the city, the inner city of Nanjing, which was right next door, was eerily quiet.

It's not just quiet in the local area; as the most prosperous and wealthy residential area in Nanjing, the inner city has a large permanent population.

Not only wealthy and powerful families, but also their servants, and various shops and vendors who depend on them for their livelihood.

After the Han Dynasty took over Nanjing, although it issued an order to free slaves, most of the slaves of powerful families were still willing to follow their original masters after their slave contracts were terminated, and instead signed long-term employment contracts.

Nanjing is highly urbanized with a large population and a hectic lifestyle. If you don't work for a wealthy family and instead try to be an ordinary citizen, it's easy to struggle to make a living.

Moreover, these wealthy and powerful families were also very clever; even without the constraints of slave contracts, they still had money in their hands.

There's no problem that money can't solve; if there is, it's because not enough money has been given.

Before and after the Han Dynasty took over Nanjing, the population density of the inner city remained basically unchanged.

Except for the initial two-day curfew imposed when the Han army entered the city to restore order, things gradually returned to normal, and the city was bustling again.

The quiet in the inner city was more about the situation and attitudes of the powerful gentry.

Gan Mansion, secret room.

A large number of people had already gathered here. They were all dressed in gorgeous silk clothes, and they had taken off their hats one by one, revealing their not-so-shiny bald heads.

They were all wealthy and powerful families living in the inner city of Nanjing. Owning tens of thousands of acres of fertile land was the minimum requirement; those with less than that amount of property were not qualified to sit here.

The leader was Gan Fu, the owner of this secret room and also the owner of the royal palace.

Gan Fu looked around and asked, "Well, is everyone here?"

A wealthy gentleman sitting to Gan Fu's left replied, "Almost everyone who was supposed to come has arrived. Old Li and Old Liu said they're too old and have difficulty walking, so they won't be attending the banquet."

Everyone has their own ambitions; there's no need to force them.

Gan Fu didn't pay any attention, picked up his teacup and blew on it: "You all should have received the notice that the officials sent a few days ago, right?"

Another wealthy man sitting on the right said, "We have received the order. The Han government has issued an order that each of us must report to the yamen within five days, and send all the hidden weapons and firearms to the yamen. The private soldiers we are training must also be disbanded immediately under the supervision of the government and handed over to the government for processing."

Before Gan Fu could even speak, another wealthy man couldn't help but shout angrily, "This is simply outrageous! We used our best guards and protectors to capture General Fu Chang of Jiangning, which allowed the Han army attacking the city to take Nanjing so easily. We've done a great service, and instead of rewards, they want our guards and weapons. What's next? Is the next step to 'kill the hunted' and indiscriminately slaughter our meritorious officials'?"

A wealthy man sitting at the end reminded us, "We only helped capture the city, which is at most a meritorious service. We don't even have an official position in the Han Dynasty, so we can't be considered true heroes."

It would have been better if he hadn't said anything, because the more he talked about it, the angrier the gentry became: "So, you still want to kill people? We have made great contributions. Without our help, no matter how powerful the Han army is, it would not have been so easy to take down the mighty city of Nanjing. Now, our fields outside the city have already been included in the land distribution ledger by the Han government, without showing any mercy."

The first gentry member to speak, who was on the left and in front, said, “Land distribution is a national policy of the Han Dynasty. We hold a large amount of land. If the King of Han wants to win the hearts of the people in Jiangnan, he will definitely come to distribute our land.”

"He's only trying to win over the hearts of the common people, yet he treats the gentry so harshly. Doesn't the King of Han fear that we gentry will become disloyal to him?"

"..."

What's there to be afraid of?

The Han dynasty divided the land among the gentry, but the gentry disliked the Han dynasty, while the common people liked it.

The Han dynasty did not distinguish between the lands of the gentry and the common people, who were indifferent to the existence of the Han dynasty.

Anyone with a brain knows which option to choose.

Gan Fu picked up his teacup and took a small sip: "Leaving aside whether the King of Han is afraid or not, the fact that we are gathered here now is because we have not yet become disloyal to the Han Dynasty, isn't it?"

These words were rather crude, and the expressions of the several wealthy gentlemen present were rather strange.

Nonsense, who the hell would dare to be disloyal to the Han? The Han army has already taken over Nanjing. They know perfectly well what kind of fighting force the Han army is. Even the Qing army can't beat the Han army. Even if they are disloyal, they can't possibly raise the flag and rebel, can they?
What's the difference between this and someone who's tired of living with their entire family for nine generations?
Gan Fu didn't waste any more words and said, "Gentlemen, as I mentioned before, the government has sent officials to each of our families who contributed troops during the city capture battle, demanding that we hand over our privately amassed troops, as well as firearms and armor." He paused and then asked directly, "So, are we going to hand them over or not?"

Is that even a question?
What other choice do you have but to obediently report to the government and hand over the people and weapons?

Gan Fudu put it very bluntly: they kept calling themselves servants and guards, but in reality they were a private army they had secretly built up.

Moreover, it was only in the last two years, seeing the situation becoming increasingly unfavorable, that he began to secretly amass his own stock. The several muskets were specially acquired from the military camp at a high price, but they hadn't been put to much use and were now to be handed over.

It's fine if you don't hand them over; throughout history, privately keeping soldiers and armor has been tantamount to rebellion.

Without any hesitation, all the wealthy gentlemen present said that they still had to pay. Even the one who had been shouting and getting angry earlier was now half-bowing and admitting defeat.

You can't fight city hall; meritorious service is one thing, secretly amassing a private army is another, and the two should be considered separately.

A wealthy man closest to Gan Fu said, "We can and should hand over our servants, guards, weapons, and armor, but what happens after that? The government won't tell us what to do next, and we really have no idea!"

These words resonated with many.

"Yes! Everything must be done according to rules and regulations; without rules, nothing can be accomplished."

"After the Han army entered the city, they only met with us once when the King of Han entered the city, and then they never summoned us again. Instead, without any prior notice, they began to distribute our land. How can we feel at ease?"

"The news from Jiangxi and Anhui says that the Prince of Han dislikes killing, but also that he never hesitates to kill. We have seen the Prince of Han once, but it was too short. We only know that he is young, but he is ruthless when killing Manchus, which is terrifying!"

"Hand over your servants and weapons, that's fine, but we need to establish some rules first."

"..."

The crowd was making a ruckus, but Gan Fu watched coldly from the sidelines.

The two things that everyone cares about most are nothing more than:
First, the rules.

Second, farmland.

The rules are easy to understand; they just want to know the rules of the King of Han and what he plans to do next after taking over Nanjing.
Nanjing is unlike any city that the Han Dynasty had previously conquered; it is a place that can be used to establish a country and make it the capital.

Moreover, the King of Han has already moved the entire cabinet headquarters of Jingzhou Prefecture to Nanjing, clearly intending to make Nanjing the new capital, or at least a long-term temporary capital.

Therefore, they need to know the rules of the Prince of Han before they can devise a corresponding plan of conduct. Even if they don't continue to act arrogantly, they must at least maintain their current status and not be kicked out of Nanjing's elite circles.

As for the land, although they knew that in the end they might not be able to stop the Han army from dividing the land, it was tens of thousands of hectares of fertile land, not just a few hundred or a few thousand acres. If it were just a small amount of land, they would give it away, but tens of thousands of hectares of land really hurt them.

They don't expect to save everything; saving half would be enough, or at worst, a third.

After observing and clarifying everyone's demands, Gan Fu concluded by saying, "Gentlemen, the situation in Nanjing, and even in Jiangnan, is different now. At least in the South, the one sitting on the throne is no longer the Qing Dynasty, but that Prince of Han. Considering the recent rumors, the Prince of Han is already planning to declare himself emperor and establish a new regime. At that time, the South will undoubtedly be under the rule of the new dynasty. My view is simple: we can't fight city hall. Since we are in the new dynasty, we will do whatever the new dynasty needs us to do!"

“But…” some people still had doubts.

Gan Fu said, “I know you all have doubts. We can’t figure out the land distribution system of the Han Dynasty and the rules of the King of Han for the time being, but we can first submit a petition through a joint petition.”

"A joint petition, petitioning for what?"

"I urge you to accept the throne!"

"..."

The moment the words "urge him to ascend the throne" were uttered, the secret room fell silent.

Everyone finally understood what Gan Fu meant. Although, back when the Han Dynasty had just occupied Nanjing, some scholars had already sent letters urging the King of Han to ascend the throne.

However, their urging to ascend the throne was very tactful, and they even sent letters to the Cabinet Office, which may have been orchestrated by the Cabinet itself.

But things are different now. As the most powerful and influential families in Nanjing, and having made great contributions by surrendering the city, they jointly petitioned for the move, making the ceremony extremely ceremonial.

The greatest merit is to save the emperor; the greatest merit is to follow the emperor.

While persuading someone to ascend the throne doesn't count as supporting the emperor, the merit is no less than that of supporting him.

If Gan Fu can't solve the problem, then he should try to persuade the emperor to ascend the throne. If it succeeds, Gan might be able to transition from a merchant to a scholar; if it fails, at least persuading the emperor won't offend the King of Han.

It's guaranteed to be profitable, let's do it!
(End of this chapter)