There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 422 Guangdong and Guangxi
Guangdong.

Although the Han Dynasty had already stationed troops along the Huai River in preparation for war, in order not to delay the spring plowing in the south, the strategic plan formulated by the Governor-General's Office was to wait until the spring plowing in each province was over and summer arrived before sending troops to fight.

However, this belongs to the Northern Expedition strategy of Nanjing and has little to do with the Western Expedition strategy of Guangdong.

Guangdong Province is located in the southernmost part of China and has a subtropical monsoon climate.

Not only are the winters very warm, with almost no snowfall, but spring also arrives exceptionally early, and spring plowing begins much earlier than in northern provinces (north of Guangdong), at least two months earlier.

The Han army in the north was still waiting for the spring plowing to end before conscripting militia to prepare for the Northern Expedition, while the Third Division of the Han army stationed in Guangdong immediately mobilized to fight upon receiving military orders.

"General Chen, after a year of campaigning, most of the prefectures and counties in Guangdong have been captured by our army. Now, only Lianzhou Prefecture remains under the control of the puppet Qing dynasty," Yang Yuchun said to Chen Younian, pointing to the map.

Because Yang Yuchun surrendered in time and was valued by the emperor, his official position did not change much after he surrendered. He was given the rank of commander, which was similar to that of the previous general. He is currently serving under Chen Younian's Third Division.

After all, he was the fiercest general of the late Qing Dynasty, even more powerful than Yang Fang. If placed in the current Northern Han Army, he might not be enough, as the Northern Han Army has already equipped itself with a large number of firearms and cannons.

But this is Guangdong and Guangxi, a mountainous and jungle terrain where firearms and cannons are difficult to use effectively. Instead, troops equipped with cold weapons are more likely to succeed.

Over the past year, Yang Yuchun led his troops to defeat almost all the unruly Yao people and bandits in Guangdong.

He was undefeated in every battle he fought, and even the Yao people who had fled into the mountains to fight guerrilla warfare against the Han army were dragged out by Yang Yuchun.

Chen Younian felt that he was already quite brave, except that he couldn't compare to Yang Fang. Yang Fang was really fierce. Despite being a scholar, he was braver in battle than him, and his strength was also ridiculously great.

Now, we have to add Yang Yuchun to the list. This Yang Yuchun seems even more capable than Yang Fang, especially when it comes to fighting the Yao people in the mountains. He really knows his stuff.

“Very good, but not enough,” Chen Younian said. “His Majesty’s telegram to us ordered that we must take over the entire Guangdong province this year, and preferably also take over Yulin Prefecture and Nanning Prefecture. Therefore, our Third Division’s strategic goal this year is to take over the entire Guangdong province, and we must also conquer Guangxi.”

Although the emperor only gave the order to take over the entire Guangdong province, and to take over Nanning Prefecture and Yulin Prefecture if there was extra capacity, in the ears of generals like Chen Younian, it meant that the emperor of Guangdong wanted it, and the emperor of Guangxi wanted it too.

This is what we call subjective initiative.

His Majesty did not tell them that the Third Division was not allowed to attack the entire Guangxi region. As long as they could take it, it would not be a problem.

Yang Yuchun was quite pleased with this; as long as there were battles to fight, he was happy, because having battles meant he could achieve more military exploits.

Since they have already submitted to the Han Dynasty, and the Han Dynasty is now an imperial system, there are no major surprises, such as the emperor suddenly passing away. In that case, the Han Dynasty's conquest of the world is a foregone conclusion.

It was a rare and momentous occasion for him to witness such a momentous event, and he happened to be in the prime of his life, the perfect time to make a name for himself and bring glory to his ancestors.

Unlike Yang Fang, who joined the army because he couldn't pass the imperial examinations and had no other options, Yang Fang initially worked as a clerk in the army due to his status as a scholar. Later, because he was so good at fighting, Yang Yuchun promoted him to a military officer position, and from then on, his career took off.

Yang Yuchun was different. He was a martial arts graduate from the beginning, a tough guy who had fought his way up in real battles. He took the opportunity to join the government army when he saw the turmoil in the southwest. Later, he was promoted continuously because of his bravery in battle.

Yang Yuchun wanted to win battles, achieve merit, and bring glory to his ancestors.

Yang Yuchun and Yang Fang were among the few Han Chinese military generals in the late Qing Dynasty who were granted the title of "Baturu" by the puppet Qing regime.

Looking at the map, Chen Younian quickly made the corresponding arrangements: "General Yang."

"Your subordinate is here," Yang Yuchun immediately replied, bowing.

Chen Younian said, "I hereby appoint two thousand men as the vanguard to take Lianzhou Prefecture first."

"Yes, sir," Yang Yuchun replied.

"General Li."

"My subordinate is here."

"I order your troops to attack Yulin Prefecture and make sure you capture the city."

"Yes."

"General Qian."

"My subordinate is here."

"I order your troops to attack Wuzhou Prefecture and make sure to capture the city. Once Wuzhou Prefecture and Yulin Prefecture are captured, you will lead the Second Division to join forces with General Li's Third Division and continue westward to conquer Xunzhou and Pingluo Prefectures."

"Your subordinate obeys." ×2
"..."

Without wasting any time, Chen Younian immediately arranged the strategic objectives for each of his subordinate towns at the meeting. The goal was to quickly take over eastern Guangxi with lightning speed.

After several years of marching and fighting, Chen Younian didn't know many characters, at most he could understand military orders and documents, but he did learn a lot of tactics and fighting methods.

The most effective tactic is speed, but even ordinary armies can't use it. Only professional soldiers like the Han army, with ample supplies and highly motivated veterans, can achieve this effect.

Over the past few years, the Qing army has often been caught off guard by the Han army's rapid attacks, which is why they lost cities and territories so quickly.

The Qing army suffered a major defeat in western Hunan, and the Huguang battlefield was a complete disaster. The Huguang Governor-General E Hui, sent by the puppet Qing, was killed in battle. The defeat was almost entirely due to insufficient preparation and hasty response.

The Qing army even studied the Han army's tactics, but after much research, they found that there was no solution at all.

The Han army could launch an offensive in an instant, and the mobilization of military supplies, laborers, and soldiers was all too fast, making it truly like a war machine.

On the other hand, the Qing army had already completed all the pre-war preparations, from the transmission of information to the response of bureaucratic agencies at all levels, and then the mobilization of troops, the conscription of laborers, the procurement of provisions, etc. The Han army had already fought all the battles it needed to fight and was preparing to meet the Qing army's attack.

There was no other way; it was a difference in military efficiency. Without telegraphs as a communication medium, and without land redistribution to mobilize the people's enthusiasm, coupled with strict local anti-corruption measures and the establishment of grassroots farmers' associations, village chiefs, and town mayors to gradually extend power into the countryside, the people's strength could be mobilized to the maximum extent.

When there is no war, these resources can be used to improve local production, motivate people to produce, coordinate responses to natural disasters, and increase local fiscal revenue.

In times of war, that potential can be immediately transformed into the war potential of the Han Dynasty's national machinery.

If it weren't for the fact that the Han Dynasty had to consider the loss of manpower from fighting wars, and that the expansion of its territory was too large and the funds and grain for disaster relief were insufficient, Nie Yu could have even doubled the size of the existing standing army.

The Guangdong Han Army finalized its troop deployment plan and within ten days, it had already divided its forces and set off, launching simultaneous attacks on Wuzhou, Yulin, and Lianzhou.

Lianzhou Prefecture.

Shi Jixin, the self-proclaimed incorruptible prefect of Leizhou, was shocked to hear that the Han army was advancing along the Leizhou route. He immediately ordered a citywide curfew and organized local militia and laborers to prepare for the defense of the city.

Although Leizhou Prefecture and Lianzhou Prefecture belong to the same province, there is only one narrow passage between the two prefectures.

Because there is a long, winding mountain range separating Guangdong and Guangxi, Lianzhou Prefecture should not belong to Guangdong geographically, but rather to Guangxi.

However, there are very few Han Chinese in Guangxi. The Ming Dynasty book "Yuexi Congzai" records: "In Guangxi province, half are Langren (Zhuangren), the other three are Yao people, and the other two are Han Chinese. With only two-thirds of the population living among the barbarians, it is difficult to accomplish anything quickly."

There are too few Han Chinese in Guangxi; they only make up two-tenths of the province's population.

No matter who was emperor, they were not at ease, so they could only forcibly divide Guangxi, giving Lianzhou Prefecture, which was located at the mouth of the sea in Guangxi, to Guangdong to curb Guangxi's development and keep Guangxi in poverty.

However, this also made Guangxi too poor, and it was located deep in the mountains. Local officials looked down on the "southern barbarians" of Guangxi and often liked to levy exorbitant taxes, which in turn exacerbated the anti-Qing uprisings in Guangxi.

Having previously fought against the Miao people of western Hunan and the Yao people of Guangdong, Yang Yuchun was already accustomed to traversing mountain roads. Therefore, he led his 2,000 vanguard troops and easily crossed the Yunkai Mountain Road.

Before Yang Yuchun even arrived in Lianzhou Prefecture, he ordered his personal guards to raise his own banner with the character "Yang" on it, and at the same time, he also displayed the banner with the Chinese character "Han" on it. The two banners were placed together in the most conspicuous place in the army formation.

"Your Excellency, look! It's the Yang banner! It's General Yang Yuchun!" The Assistant Prefect of Lianzhou Prefecture initially saw the Yang banner from afar and was somewhat puzzled, but then he saw the Han banner next to it and immediately realized, "Oh no! That's the Han banner! Yang Yuchun... that killing god Yang Yuchun has actually surrendered to the puppet Han! Your Excellency, what should we do?"

The fact that a single Yang-character flag possessed such power shows just how formidable Yang Yuchun was.

It not only left a psychological scar on the Yao people and bandits in Guangdong, but also left a deep impression on the local officials of Guangdong and Guangxi.

In the Guangdong and Guangxi regions, all the officials who aren't newcomers in the last two years—and there probably haven't been any newcomers in the last two years—are known to everyone. Yang Yuchun is a god of war, truly unstoppable, with an invincible record. At his most outrageous moment, he could chase down thousands or even tens of thousands of rebel troops with only a dozen or so riders.

Even Yang Fang, with only a dozen or so riders, scattered and routed tens of thousands of White Lotus Sect bandits crossing the river.

Yang Yuchun simply brought such a small force, yet he overwhelmed the Miao rebels' camp. Forty men persuaded the enemy forces, which outnumbered them by several times. Fukang'an was greatly amazed: "He swept through the enemy with unstoppable force, and those who stood in his way were utterly defeated."

Now, this mighty Qing general, who was once so capable in battle, has transformed into a mighty Han general, and is now beating up their pitiful Lianzhou Prefecture, the last prefecture city in Guangdong.

The Qing Dynasty had its rules. With the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi absent, even though Lianzhou Prefecture was very close to Guangxi, the Governor of Guangxi could only provide some supplies. It was absolutely forbidden for him to send troops to help defend Lianzhou Prefecture.

Whether or not the defense can be held, it would be an overreach of authority, and could lead to accountability from the court, resulting in dismissal from office.

Don't think this is impossible. When Lin Zexu was exiled to Xinjiang, one of the charges against him was that he was privately recruiting and training troops in Guangdong.

What's the point of recruiting soldiers for training?

Of course, it was to resist the British attack.

The British were indeed intimidated by the local militia organized by Lin Gong, and ultimately failed to launch a large-scale landing. Instead, they opted to withdraw and negotiate a treaty.

"Your Excellency, that's Yang Yuchun, the God of Slaughter! This God of Slaughter has defected to the false Han! What should we do now?" The Assistant Magistrate of Lianzhou was completely panicked and his words were becoming incoherent.

Not to mention him, the Lianzhou Prefect and the Hepu County Magistrate, who were standing next to him, were all filled with terror.

Yang Yuchun's infamous reputation is well-known. How many soldiers does Lianzhou Prefecture have? They don't even have a single capable general. Can they really stop Yang Yuchun?
The prefect of Lianzhou, Shi Jixin, was somewhat knowledgeable about military affairs. As soon as he saw Yang Yuchun's banner, he realized something was wrong. However, before he could react or prepare, the assistant prefect of Lianzhou shouted out the news.

This shout immediately alerted everyone around that the Han general who had come from outside was Yang Yuchun.

Even if it wasn't Yang Yuchun, that large banner still represented Yang Yuchun.

Shi Jixin, not wanting to be harsh before the battle, could only force a smile and reassure everyone, saying, "Although Yang Yuchun is renowned, he has always been good at fighting in mountainous terrain and has never been known to have a strong record of attacking cities. Our Lianzhou city has high walls and thick walls. As long as we defend the city to the death, even if that traitor Yang Yuchun is here, we are confident that we can hold him off."

After these words were spoken, no one was easily appeased or fooled.

Yang Yuchun was far more famous than Shi Jixin.

You say you can hold it, but can you really hold it?

Moreover, Yang Yuchun has never been known to have any impressive record of attacking cities, but he fought so fiercely in mountainous terrain that it's impossible for such a veteran general to be a novice when attacking cities.
Seeing that appeasement was ineffective, Shi Jixin had no other choice but to bite the bullet and make arrangements for defending the city and preparing for war.

There's no point in saying more; we'll know after we've played a couple of matches.

Fortunately, after a quick survey from the city tower, he estimated that the attacking Han army numbered only two or three thousand, while his Lianzhou city had at least tens of thousands of defenders. He figured that ten against one should be enough to hold the city.

The Han army camped outside Lianzhou City and ate lunch there.

In the afternoon.

The Han army approached Lianzhou City. The army of two thousand men was in a very compact and dense formation, clearly a well-trained and battle-hardened force.

On the other hand, in Lianzhou City, the city walls were densely packed with soldiers, but there was almost no order or strategy among them.

Wherever there was a shortage of manpower, a bunch of soldiers were crammed in to stand guard over the city. Even the archers were scattered here and there. A few cannons were left, but they were also badly rusted and clearly lacked maintenance.

Yang Yuchun put down his binoculars and clicked his tongue, saying, "This telescope is really useful for observing enemy positions. As expected of the Xin Dynasty of the Han Dynasty, they have so many good things!"

After saying this, he issued a military order to his soldiers: "Pass down the order, open fire and attack the city!"

Yang Yuchun did not consider any tactics or strategies. He immediately launched an attack on the city with artillery covering the infantry. To him, the city was poorly defended, the soldiers were not well trained, and the majority of the troops were civilians. He believed that the city was fragile and could be breached with a little effort.

"Boom boom boom!"

The Han army's cannons roared in a salvo.

Although he only brought ten red-coated cannons and didn't hit a single shell, his imposing presence still startled the Lianzhou garrison, who dared not fire back.

After one shot, the Qing army's artillerymen all cowered in fear.

Shi Jixin was furious and immediately ordered the gunners to fire, threatening to punish anyone who refused as a traitor.

However, it took a lot of effort for one gunner to overcome his fear and come forward to fire the cannon.

"boom!!!"

With a deafening explosion, the cannon burst open on the spot, and the Qing army gunner who was operating it was instantly blown to pieces.

(Note: During the coastal test of cannons by Guangdong Admiral Guan Tianpei, six out of ten cannons exploded, resulting in a damage rate as high as 60%)

This explosion of cannons caused a major commotion for the Qing army.

Almost the next second.

"Run! The officials don't care about our lives at all. If we don't run now, it will be too late."

"Hey, wait for me! Wait for me!"

"Run!"

Good heavens, the siege hadn't even officially started, and the army had already collapsed in one fell swoop.

Those who hadn't collapsed were dragged down along with the already collapsed rebel army, and Lianzhou Prefecture City descended into utter chaos.

How the hell is this still playing?
Shi Jixin never expected that after all his hard work in recruiting tens of thousands of troops, he would collapse so inexplicably without winning a single battle.
Ultimately, he was still a civil official; no matter how knowledgeable he was about military affairs, he wouldn't understand the specifics.

Having more soldiers is not necessarily a good thing in war; in fact, more soldiers can also mean a more chaotic command system.

Even an elite force like the Han army would experience command failures when its command system was in disarray, requiring real-time command via telegrams and walkie-talkies.

Shi Jixin clearly did not, and his garrison, unsurprisingly, collapsed immediately.

Yang Yuchun had already seen through his binoculars that the city walls were filled with fleeing, scattering soldiers.

Yang Yuchun wasn't too surprised. He'd seen even weaker armies before. When he fought the Miao people in Guzhou, he had defeated at least tens of thousands of Miao soldiers.

"Move the entire army out and seize the city! Don't waste any more time."

For Yang Yuchun, it was indeed a waste of time. He should quickly capture Lianzhou Prefecture so that he could report the victory to Chen Younian and ask if he could participate in the campaign to attack Guangxi.

Mountain warfare is his forte.

(End of this chapter)