There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 430 Northern Anhui
Xuzhou.

Looking at the imposing city before him, Yang Fang couldn't help but curse, "What the hell is this Xuzhou terrain? How am I supposed to fight here?"

When I looked at the map before, it wasn't very obvious, but now that I've finally seen the complete geographical layout of Xuzhou City...

That's absolutely outrageous!

Xuzhou is located on a large plain on the map, surrounded by some low hills, which seems to offer no natural defenses.

However, the Xuzhou Plain is actually surrounded by mountains, making it arguably the only plain outside of Shandong that is entirely surrounded by mountains. Furthermore, the Yellow River frequently changes its course, with its main channel flowing through Xuzhou, providing natural defense against the natural barrier of the Yellow River.

Furthermore, Xuzhou itself is situated in a small basin, making it a natural location for city construction.

(As shown in the picture)
This type of terrain is quite rare even in the Central Plains region.

Gu Yewang (ancestor of Gu Yanwu) said: "Pengcheng is strategically important and cannot be captured by attack. Moreover, its terrain is strategically important. It not only protects the southern country and is a place that must be contested, but since ancient times, all military campaigns in the southeast have used it to control the various states of China."

Therefore, Xuzhou is easy to defend and difficult to attack. It is not that difficult for the Han army to take it, but Yang Fang's strategy of splitting his troops into two routes to quickly take Jiangbei can be declared a failure.

Yang Fang was still somewhat unwilling, so he sent an envoy to persuade Yang Fang to surrender.

He rode his horse to the city of Xuzhou, but before he could even use a megaphone to call out, he was shot back in disarray by a hail of arrows from the city walls.

Now, there's no need for persuasion to surrender; we can start fighting directly.

The city walls of Xuzhou.

"hehe,"

Looking at the Han cavalry envoys who had been driven away by a hail of arrows, Yang Hu, the prefect of Xuzhou, sneered disdainfully, "These mere traitors and false Han traitors actually dare to try to make this prefecture surrender. What wishful thinking!"

"..."

Kang Jitian and Tie Bao exchanged speechless glances.

The man in front of me, Yang Hu, the prefect of Xuzhou, who had just ordered the arrows to be fired and disregarded the rule that envoys should not be killed in battle, was a Han Chinese Plain Yellow Banner soldier and a loyal slave of the Qing Dynasty.

As early as last year, when the Han dynasty took full control of Jiangnan, Emperor Jiaqing had already completely lost trust in the Han officials in the south, and consequently became much more wary of the Han officials in the north.

In all strategically important local towns and provincial capitals, Han officials have been completely replaced. Manchu officials are used whenever possible, and if Manchu officials are not available, they are replaced by officials from the Eight Banners, or at the very least, by bondservant officials from the Eight Banners.

In short, they had to be on the same boat as the Qing Dynasty; if the Qing Dynasty fell, they would fall together.

This Yang Hu was from the Han Eight Banners. Jiaqing originally wanted to send a Manchu official there, but Xuzhou was a place of constant warfare, and no Manchu official was willing to go.

Unfortunately, this place is very important, so we had no choice but to settle for second best and select a loyal servant from the Han Eight Banners. He had previously served as the prefect of Xuzhou and was stationed there.

Further south, in Haizhou and Huai'an Prefecture, there were simply not enough loyal servants to go, and these areas were too far to go; even among the bondservants under their command, few were willing to go.

Yang Hu shot away the Han army's envoys who were trying to persuade them to surrender, then turned to Kang Jitian and Tie Bao with a smile and said, "The traitorous Han rebels are at the gates of the city. Although I am the prefect of Xuzhou, I am not knowledgeable in military strategy. The safety of Xuzhou's defenses will depend on your efforts. If there is any need for money, provisions, supplies, or laborers, I will do my best to help!"

Hearing this bastard's nonsense, Kang Jitian and Tie Bao remained expressionless, but they were practically seething with rage inside.

Although the two men had no intention of surrendering, even if they had, the Han army probably wouldn't have spared them.

But that doesn't mean they're willing to be used as pawns. Prefect Yang Hu of Xuzhou was clearly being wary of them. He was both wary of them potentially surrendering in the face of battle and of them abandoning the city and fleeing, so he simply cut off their retreat as soon as he arrived.

Now, they're still here feigning innocence, claiming they don't know how to defend the city and want them to do the work. If the city is successfully defended, the credit goes to Protector Yang; if it fails, the blame falls on them.

The two men were at a loss, because Yang Hu had made his intentions very clear, even refusing to address them as governors. This was a blatant threat: if they obediently defended the city, they could atone for their crimes; if they didn't help defend the city and fled back, they would still lose the city and territory, and Jiaqing would not let them off the hook.

Kang Jitian and Tie Bao remained silent for a long while before meeting Yang Hu's meaningful smile and saying, "Lord Yang, rest assured, with the two of us here, Xuzhou City will not be easily captured by the Southern Army!"

Yang Hu said, "Hehe, what are you saying, Generals? I naturally trust you both."

After saying that, he suddenly added, "By the way, my two commanders, those outside the city are the traitors who are pretending to be Han, not the Southern Army. The Southern Army already has the intention of becoming the Southern Dynasty. You two commanders keep talking about the Southern Army. Could it be that you have already accepted the traitors as the Southern Dynasty and our Great Qing as the Northern Dynasty?"

Kang Jitian quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "I dare not, Lord Yang, you misunderstand. It was just a slip of the tongue between me and Tie Shuai!"

"That's good. I thought... haha."

"..."

Outside Xuzhou City, the Han army camp.

Yang Fang wasn't too disappointed when she saw that her attempt to persuade him to surrender had failed.

However, the envoys sent out were shot back by a hail of arrows from the Qing army. Because they were running too fast, one of the horses was accidentally hit by an arrow in its rump, which made Yang Fang feel a little sorry for him.

The Han army had a shortage of warhorses, especially after the establishment of cavalry and mountain divisions, which made the allocation of warhorses even more difficult.

Even Nanma, whose shoulder height is less than 1.4 meters, is considered a hot commodity in the various divisions of the Han Army.

Yang Fang's Fifth Division had only a little over 200 warhorses and cavalrymen, which could no longer be called a cavalry battalion, but could only be used as scouts and sentries.

Because horses are so precious, Yang Fang felt very sorry for the warhorse when she saw that its rump was injured, and she immediately called the army veterinarian to treat the horse's wound.

Meanwhile, Xuzhou has already refused to surrender, so there's no need for further trouble.

The Han army directly attacked the city.

That afternoon, the Han army's laborers, along with several instructors, arrived in the villages surrounding Xuzhou city to begin explaining the Han army's policies. They also distributed grain to recruit villagers as laborers to help cut down trees and dig and build defensive fortifications.

In addition to arranging for civilian laborers to prepare for the siege, Yang Fang also divided his troops into three routes, bypassing Xuzhou Prefecture, to capture Xiao County, Dangshan, Pei County, and Feng County behind Xuzhou Prefecture, as well as Pizhou north of the Grand Canal.

It is worth mentioning that these five counties, which are currently under the jurisdiction of Xuzhou Prefecture, will have Dangshan and Xiaoxian counties specifically transferred to neighboring Anhui Province in the future.

……

Faced with the easily defensible and difficult-to-attack Xuzhou Prefecture, Yang Fang had basically given up on the plan to quickly take Jiangbei. He planned to first sweep away the surrounding areas of Xuzhou, and then slowly take over this important southern city.

As for whether Xuzhou Prefecture would send troops to stop the Han army from sweeping through the surrounding areas, Yang Fang didn't care at all.

If Xuzhou Prefecture does not send troops, the Han army will only divide its forces into three routes to sweep through the surrounding areas. If Xuzhou Prefecture sends troops, then the Han army will be able to encircle the area from three directions, luring the rat out of its hole.

Xuzhou Prefecture has become a piece of fat meat in the eyes of the Han army, while Haizhou, on the eastern coast of Jiangbei, has also been surrounded by the eastern route of the Han army.

The two counties of Shuyang and Ganyu, which are under the jurisdiction of Haizhou, had already surrendered long ago.

The prefect of Haizhou was a ruthless character; he refused to surrender and wanted to be a loyal servant of the Qing Dynasty. Seeing the Han army take over Ganyu and Shuyang counties, he even attempted to send troops to fight, also anticipating the opportunity presented by the Han army's division of forces to try and secure an initial victory. Unsurprisingly, the army sent out by the prefect of Haizhou suffered a crushing defeat.

Of the 10,000 troops sent out, less than 2,000 returned. The actual number of casualties and deaths was not large; most of them took advantage of the army's defeat and deserted to escape home.

Compared to the Xuzhou Prefecture, which required a more gradual approach, the Haizhou prefect was completely stunned by the battle he fought.

Having suffered a crushing defeat and now isolated and without support, Haizhou probably won't be able to hold out for more than a few days.

……

Fengyang.

Bai Nan was leading the main force of the Second Division, and had just crossed the river via Bengbuji (which is still a small town).

Huaiyuan County is located right next to the Huai River and sandwiched between Jing Mountain and Tu Mountain (the Tu Mountain that is known for pushing foxes).

Without hesitation, Yang Deyi, the magistrate of Huaiyuan County, changed his allegiance on the spot and surrendered to the Han Dynasty.

This guy was originally from Zhejiang, and his hometown had long been taken over by the Han. Although it had been under the Qing government's rule, in the eyes of the puppet Qing, the magistrate of Huaiyuan County was already considered a traitor.

After all, Huaiyuan County may seem like just a small county, but its town is right next to the Huai River and is an important port and strategic point along the river, known as the "Pearl of the Huai River".

The Han army has already captured Fengyang, so it's impossible for them not to capture Huaiyuan County as well.

Therefore, the puppet Qing dynasty didn't even bother to replace Yang Deyi, the magistrate of Zhejiang County. Anyway, once the war started, whoever was sent to Huaiyuan County would just surrender.

After years of living in fear and trembling, Yang Deyi, the magistrate of Huaiyuan County, finally returned to the embrace of the Han Dynasty. He immediately offered Bai Nan some advice, saying, "General, please look at this map. This map was collected and drawn by me over the past few years. Huaiyuan County, where we are located, and Fengyang Prefecture, where you came from, are both built along the Huai River. The Huai River is not only related to the north and south defense lines, but it is also the most important river in northern Anhui."

“In northern Anhui, along the main channel of the Huai River, there are two prefectures and two counties: Fengyang, Lu'an, Yingzhou (Fuyang), and Sizhou (Sixian). The eastern end of the Huai River connects to Hongze Lake. The main channel of the Huai River extends into northern Anhui with several tributaries, namely the Ying River, Wo River, Hui River, and Tuo River…”

"If the general wants to conquer northern Anhui, he does not need to go directly by land. This will only increase the consumption of food and supplies and damage the people's strength. Let the Qing army know the news in advance and make preparations. If you want to attack northern Anhui quickly, you can go by the Huai River waterway and go north through the Huai River tributaries. Almost every main branch of the Huai River tributary has a major town or city in northern Anhui."

Bai Nan readily agreed. Although he also had a map, it was indeed not as detailed as the map drawn by the other party.

Yang Deyi's map may look abstract and unattractive, but it is incredibly detailed, including many villages and small towns in northern Anhui. It is clear that he did not create it alone.

Looking at the map drawn by the other party, Bai Nan immediately smiled and said, "This map is good. Magistrate Yang has worked hard these past few years. I will report your merits to His Majesty in due course!"

"I dare not. I would be content if I could contribute to the restoration of our great Han dynasty." Yang Deyi quickly bowed modestly.

He said he didn't dare, but the smile on his lips was almost impossible to suppress.

Who doesn't want to make a contribution?
Yang Deyi had already inquired in detail and learned that in the Han Dynasty, officials were not chosen based on their wealth, but only on their political achievements and merits.

As long as you have enough political achievements and the people under your jurisdiction can live and work in peace and contentment, even a minor official can be promoted to a higher official position.

This was unprecedented in the puppet Qing dynasty. To become an official in the puppet Qing, you needed to have money, and not just a handful of silver, but a large amount of silver.

Then, one must have a good enough background, either from the Eight Banners or from the bondservant class, or at the very least, one's ancestors must have held official positions.

Manchus, on the other hand, didn't need to, because there were already reserved positions for them in the court. Even Kangxi once complained that it was too easy for the Manchu Eight Banners to become officials.

Taking the imperial examination as an example, for Han Chinese to become officials, it was a competition among more than a dozen provinces across the country. First, there was the provincial examination, which was an internal competition within the province. Only a few dozen to a hundred people could be selected from tens of thousands of people.

During the Qianlong era, the pass rate for the provincial examinations was almost at its lowest. In large provinces, one out of every 80 people was admitted; in medium-sized provinces, one out of every 60 people was admitted; and in small provinces, one out of every 50 people was admitted.

After a long and arduous process of selecting thousands of successful candidates for the provincial examination, it was truly a case of "a thousand troops crossing a single-plank bridge."

These thousands of candidates will then travel to the capital for the imperial examinations, from which the final one or two hundred, or perhaps even fewer than one hundred, will be selected.

Eight years ago, when the old dog Qianlong was still alive, the Qing dynasty's imperial examination that year only admitted 83 Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest level of the imperial examinations).

In comparison, it was very easy for Manchus to become officials.

The Han Chinese imperial examination system was like a single-plank bridge for thousands of soldiers, even more competitive than the modern college entrance examination. In contrast, the Manchu imperial examination system only selected one person from dozens or even just a few to become an official, and those who were not selected had other avenues to pursue.

It was like feeding someone until they were right in front of their mouth; the so-called Manchu imperial examination was more like a formality.

In the Qing dynasty, there was only one Manchu who truly passed the imperial examination with his own merit. That person was not a real Manchu, but a fake Manchu promoted by the Mongol Eight Banners.

……

Meanwhile, the Second Division of the Han Army in northern Anhui, having adopted the suggestion of Yang Deyi, the magistrate of Huaiyuan County, obtained a detailed map of northern Anhui, even more detailed than the one Bai Nan himself possessed.

Like the Fifth Division in Jiangbei, the Second Division in Northern Anhui also adopted a strategy of dividing its forces.

The troops split into three routes, each following the main channel of the Huai River and entering the tributaries Ying River, Wo River, and Tuo River.

Within just a few days, the Second Division's Western Route Army entered the confluence of the Ying River.

The two counties of Huoqiu and Yingshang, not far along the river, did not dare to put up any resistance when they saw the Han army coming. They changed their flags and hurriedly sent envoys to surrender.

When Zhao Kui, the prefect of Yingzhou, received the news, he was utterly terrified.

He was the new prefect who took over at the end of last year, and he was a servant under the Manchu Eight Banners in Beijing.

But that doesn't matter. Whether he's a slave or not, he can't defend Yingzhou Prefecture!

Yingzhou Prefecture was already a hot potato, strategically important due to its location at the border of Henan and Anhui provinces. But precisely because of its strategic importance, it was also incredibly dangerous; it was obvious without even thinking that the Han army would definitely attack Yingzhou Prefecture.

Initially, none of the Manchu nobles in Beijing were willing to take over, and after going through several rounds of bidding, it was finally his turn to take over.

If he had no other choice, Zhao Kui would never have wanted to come here as the prefect.

Now, before we've even had a year of peace, the Han army has indeed attacked.

Zhao Kui was pacing anxiously, but his subordinates, the Assistant Prefect of Yingzhou, the Vice Prefect of Yingzhou, and the Magistrate of Fuyang County, all remained silent in tacit agreement.

Zhao Kui paced back and forth for a while, then suddenly pointed at the magistrate of Fuyang County and asked, "Magistrate Liu, the traitorous Han rebels are about to attack. What should we do now?"

The magistrate of Fuyang County remained calm and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Your Excellency, since the Southern Army has arrived, we should call upon the wealthy families in the city to recruit soldiers to resist the invaders and defend the city!"

Upon receiving this answer, Zhao Kui did not find anything amiss. As if grasping at a lifeline, he nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, Magistrate Liu is right. Quickly issue the order to do so immediately."

(abstract)
(End of this chapter)