There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 440 Something Really Happened in the Capital
The news from the Manchus in Shengjing was actually delayed. While they were busy gathering the surrounding Manchu bannermen to defend Shengjing, the city of Liaoyang to the south had already fallen.

The Han army did not use any cunning tricks; it was simply that Liaoyang was too old and dilapidated to withstand the bombardment of the red-coated cannons.

This is normal, after all, the foundation of Liaoyang City was built during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, which is more than 400 years ago.

Although it has undergone repairs and expansions over time, this old city, with its age already evident, was in a state of disrepair.

Moreover, when the Qing Dynasty was first established, Liaoyang was not the main city of the Qing Dynasty. Instead, Tokyo City was established on the other side of the Liao River.

This city of Tokyo was also abandoned during the Kangxi era, more than a hundred years ago. The city buildings have long been abandoned and turned into ruins, with only some Manchu bannermen who had nowhere else to go living here.

"Boom boom boom!"

The cannons bombarded the city wall of Liaoyang for half a morning, and a large breach was blasted open.

Outside the city, without the Han army even lifting a finger, the Manchu slaves led the serfs and civilians into Liaoyang and engaged in a fierce battle.

Few Han serfs were killed, but all the Manchus were wiped out. They even defied the Han army's order and killed many Manchu girls.

These Han serfs had been oppressed for so long; the Manchu bannermen treated them like dirt, even the livestock from beyond the Great Wall were considered superior to them. The liberation of generations of oppression naturally led to a massacre. Fortunately, the Han army intervened in time to stop them, preventing the crazed serfs from slaughtering all the women and children.

Men can be killed, but women and children are human resources.

The Liaodong Peninsula is sparsely populated, so bringing these women back would replenish the population and allow them to be distributed among the single men on the peninsula to have children.

"Ta-ta-ta-ta!"

A group of Han cavalrymen were leading several Tartar prisoners back from the north with ropes.

The cavalryman dismounted and reported: "Report! General, we've captured a Tartar scout to the north!"

"The Tartar scouts?"

Wu Liehu immediately went forward to check and saw that all the Tartar prisoners had been stripped naked in advance, leaving them with only a pair of trousers, and were being pulled by horses and ropes, barefoot.

The six captured Tartars had both legs broken and their lower bodies were covered in blood and gore; they were on the verge of death.

The cavalryman continued, “We have already interrogated them beforehand. These Tartars are from Shengjing City in the north. The Tartar officials in Shengjing City seem to know about our arrival and are gathering troops everywhere to defend the city in preparation for war. According to the information from these Tartar scouts, at least several thousand people have gathered in Shengjing, and they are all Tartars, along with some Han traitors. The remaining bondservants and Han slaves have already been expelled.”

Staff Officer Wan Wenjie said, "That's normal. Although we've been attacking cities quickly, we've already been here for quite some time. Besides, we've let many Tartars escape in the previous battles, so it's normal for there to be informants. Even with Liaoyang this time, they knew about our northward advance in advance and made preparations, but they just couldn't stop us. As for Shengjing, the Tartar capital outside the Great Wall, it has gathered several thousand Tartar soldiers. They probably won't surrender, so it will likely take a lot of time to take it down."

Wu Liehu pondered for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, "Since the Tartars are already prepared, then we won't attack Shengjing. Anyway, it was agreed beforehand that we don't necessarily have to attack the Tartars' Shengjing. Issue my order: the entire army should immediately loot Liaoyang City and tell the people of Liaoyang that as long as they follow us south, they will be given land and settled down, and their slave status will be lifted."

After saying that, he added, "Chief of Staff Wan, I'm leaving these matters to you. Make sure you empty out Liaoyang completely."

Wan Wenjie asked, "If I'll take charge, then what will you do, General Wu?"

Wu Liehu said, "Me? Of course I'm taking people north to Shengjing to take a look, and incidentally scare these Qing dogs and Tartars."

Without further ado, since they weren't attacking Shengjing anymore, Wu Liehu naturally had to go and see for himself what kind of magnificent city this Manchu had built outside the Great Wall.
Since they were not going to attack a city, Wu Liehu led only cavalry, along with three days' worth of rations, and rushed towards Shengjing City with light equipment.

The distance between Shengjing and Liaoyang is very short, only about 100 li (approximately 50 kilometers). If you travel quickly on horseback, you can reach them in less than a day.

Before even reaching Shengjing City, but only halfway there, Wu Liehu saw a large number of ragged refugees heading south along the Hun River.

I went there in person to inquire about the situation and learned that they were all Han slaves who had been driven out of Shengjing by the Tartars, and it seemed that there were also bondservants among them.

However, by this time it was difficult to distinguish them. The bondservants were clever; they knew that if they dressed too well, they would be attacked. So they quickly dressed themselves in rags and mingled with the refugees.

Wu Liehu told the refugees that if they went south to Liaoyang, they could find food, and if they followed the Han army to the Liaodong Peninsula, they could be allocated land and settle down.

After passing the refugees, the next stop is Shengjing City.

General Jin Chang of Shengjing was anxious because he had not received any news from Liaoyang. He once again sent out scouts and sentries.

As a result, they ran head-on into Wu Liehu.

Wu Liehu led his cavalry and quickly wiped out the Tartar scouts who were leaving the city. They arrived at the gates of Shengjing City, waving heads in their hands.

At first, Jin Chang couldn't see clearly, but when he got closer, he saw the red military uniform and was instantly terrified.

"Fire the arrow! Fire the arrow!"

"Shhhhhhh!"

A volley of arrows was hastily fired, but it did not frighten Wu Liehu away. Instead, he led his men along the walls of Shengjing, running in circles and shouting, "Listen up, you Tartars and Han people inside! We all came from Shanhaiguan. Your Qing Dynasty is dead. Now kill the corrupt officials and surrender obediently, and we may spare your lives!"

"The Qing Dynasty is dead, surrender immediately!"

"The Qing Dynasty is dead, surrender immediately!"

"..."

A few shouts were heard, not loud, but many people heard them.

All the Manchu and Han soldiers who heard this were somewhat surprised and uncertain, unsure whether it was a lie deliberately told by the Han army or if it was true.

Is the Qing Dynasty really finished?

But it shouldn’t be!

The Qing Dynasty was still the Qing Dynasty. It had been established in China for 150 years. How could it just disappear like that?
No, that's possible too. The Qing Dynasty was seen as a barbarian dynasty by the Han people. Although they claimed to be the legitimate dynasty, they knew their own situation best. They could deceive the Han people and Nikan people, but they couldn't deceive themselves.

"The barbarian tribes have never enjoyed long-term prosperity," as the old saying goes in the Central Plains.

The Yuan Dynasty lasted less than a hundred years before it collapsed. The Qing Dynasty lasted 150 years. Fifty years have passed, but it's almost over!

Moreover, and most importantly, if the Qing Dynasty hadn't been in trouble, where would these Nikan troops have come from?

They can't just appear out of thin air outside the pass.

Furthermore, although General Jin Chang said nothing, he had previously deployed a large force into the pass. Now he was driving the Han slaves and their respective bondservants out of the city, and even the Han army bannermen were being disbanded.

Not only were the Manchu Eight Banner soldiers puzzled, but even the Han Banner soldiers were starting to have doubts.

Jin Chang quickly realized the seriousness of the problem and immediately dispatched his personal guards to various units to suppress and appease them. He also personally told them that Shanhaiguan and Jinzhou Prefecture were both safe and sound, and that these Nikan troops definitely did not come from Shanhaiguan.

But the more he tried to explain, the more confused things became.

Shanhaiguan and Jinzhou Prefecture are safe and sound, the Qing Dynasty is fine, so where did the Han army come from?

Did it grow from the ground? Or did it emerge from the sea?
In short, the morale of the army in Shengjing City was so low that Wu Liehu led several hundred men. At first, they dared to send out scouts to investigate, but after being intercepted and killed by Wu Liehu several times, they dared not send anyone out at all.

Wu Liehu startled a group of Tartars in Shengjing, and then carefully observed and drew a picture of the outer perimeter of Shengjing City. He also noted down several important suburban buildings, namely Lao Nu's Fuling Mausoleum and Huang Taiji's Zhaoling Mausoleum.

When we come back next time, we'll dig it up again and see what's going on. Wu Liehu returned to Liaoyang, where his staff officer Wan Wenjie was already beginning to plunder the area under Liaoyang's jurisdiction. All the Han Chinese who wanted to leave were taken away, and those who didn't want to leave were taken away even if they were tied up.

The remaining Manchu bannermen were all killed, except for the women and children under the wheel.

The Han army didn't have much food and supplies to feed too many people. Even if they wanted to increase the population of the Liaodong Peninsula, they didn't need such useless Tartars.

Don't even mention that the Manchu bannermen outside the Great Wall are innocent. Basically, very few of the Manchus who could fly the banners were innocent. Even if there were a few who might be innocent, the Han army didn't have the time to carefully investigate them.

It would be easier to just slaughter them all.

It took a considerable amount of time for the Han army to completely empty Liaoyang, and they didn't even spare Haicheng and Niuzhuang.

When the three cities were captured, they used gunpowder to blow up several sections of the city walls, so that even if the Qing army recaptured them, they would not dare to defend them.

The number of livestock and people captured by the Han army alone reached tens of thousands.

With such a large population, it is more than enough to develop the major towns on the Liaodong Peninsula, such as Gaixian, Xiongyue, Fuzhou, and Jinzhou.

After this blitzkrieg across the sea to Liaodong, although the Han army only captured the Liaodong Peninsula, the remaining major cities such as Liaoyang, Haicheng, and Niuzhuang were quickly abandoned after being occupied. However, the population, livestock, and food in these places had been completely looted, and everything that could be destroyed had been destroyed.

Wherever they went, everything turned to scorched earth, leaving behind only a mound of countless Tartar heads.

Even if the Qing dynasty did not pay much attention to the area outside the Great Wall, the Shengjing military government was severely damaged by this battle, with a loss of more than 200,000 people.

The area south of Shengjing was not only completely out of control, but had also become enemy-occupied territory, posing a constant threat to Shengjing.

After the Han army withdrew from Liaoyang and returned to Gaixian, the Shengjing Tartars finally received a reply from Qingyu, the deputy commander of Jinzhou.

"Shanhaiguan has not fallen? Jinzhou Prefecture and Dalinghe Horse Ranch are still there?" Jin Chang looked at the reply in his hand and realized that he had been fooled by the Han army.

Unfortunately, it was too late; the Han army had already fled.

Having no other choice, Jin Chang consulted with Prefect Mingzhi and a few others, and decided to first head south to Liaoyang and Haicheng to take a look.

So be it, let it be scorched earth!

We must first recover Liaoyang and Haicheng, and at the same time send someone back to the capital immediately to report the situation in Liaodong to His Majesty.

……

Almost half a month later, Jiaqing learned that his hometown outside the Great Wall had been robbed.

After carefully reading the joint memorial submitted by the General of Shengjing, the Prefect, the Vice Prefect, and other officials, Emperor Jiaqing learned that the Han army had launched a surprise attack on the area outside the Great Wall and had already captured the Liaodong Peninsula. They had also emptied and destroyed strategic locations such as Liaoyang and Haicheng, and their forces had even reached the outskirts of Shengjing, displaying their military might.

More than 10,000 Manchu civilians were killed or injured. They requested the capital to send troops to support them and suppress the Han army on the Liaodong Peninsula.

Fearing that Emperor Jiaqing would ignore the matter, General Jin Chang of Shengjing specifically emphasized at the end that the Han army had also visited Zhaoling and Fuling.

Although the tomb was not damaged this time, who can guarantee that it won't be damaged or dug up next time?

The Qing Dynasty had been in the Central Plains for 150 years. Although it had been trying to suppress and prevent the Han people, various lifestyle habits were rapidly becoming Sinicized.

This grave robbing was still very damaging to Jiaqing, especially since it involved his own ancestral graves. Even though it hasn't been dug up yet, they've already gone there once, clearly indicating they had designs on it, just not prepared this time.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty?"

The chief eunuch, Zhang Jinzhong, greeted him cautiously.

Jiaqing ignored it and continued to look at the urgent memorial. Just as he was about to tell Zhang Jinzhong to call people to discuss the matter, he suddenly felt a metallic taste in his throat.

He reached in and saw blood flowing from his nose. He tried to open his mouth, but suddenly started coughing violently.

"Cough cough!"

He coughed twice, then his head lolled to the side and he fainted.

Zhang Jinzhong was stunned for half a second before he reacted and hurriedly shouted, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Don't frighten this servant! Quickly, summon the imperial physician! Quickly, summon the imperial physician!"

The Sizhi Study (the Imperial Study, named by Emperor Qianlong) in the Summer Palace was suddenly thrown into chaos, with eunuchs and palace maids shouting and calling out anxiously everywhere, and even the accompanying imperial physicians being dragged along.

Anyway, it was many days later when all the Manchu and Han officials accompanying the group learned of the news.

They only just learned that Han troops had appeared outside Liaodong Pass and had even fought their way to the walls of Shengjing.

All officials, regardless of whether they were Manchu or Han, were deeply shocked.

Because the strategic strike capability of the Han army has exceeded conventional thinking.

Although they do not recognize each other from the Han Dynasty, the current situation is a chaotic world in which the Han Dynasty and the Manchu Qing Dynasty are vying for control of the country again.

Chaos in times of chaos inevitably revolves around the Central Plains, with repeated tug-of-war and struggles. But what kind of nonsense is it to launch a surprise attack across the sea on Liaodong and beyond the Great Wall?

It doesn't matter that they didn't think of it before, but now that Han troops have appeared outside the pass, if they didn't come from Shanhaiguan, then they can only have come from the sea. They can't just appear out of thin air or be divine soldiers falling from the sky, right?

If they crossed the sea, then one thing is certain: Korea had most likely already rebelled against the Qing Dynasty.

Otherwise, the problems of food supplies for crossing the sea and the establishment of troop bases could not be solved. Only if Korea rebelled against the Qing Dynasty could these Liaodong Han troops obtain stable logistical supplies.

As expected, the small country of Korea was two-faced. When the Ming Dynasty fell into decline, it came to seek refuge with the Qing Dynasty.

The Qing Dynasty hasn't even fallen yet, and they've already switched allegiance to the puppet Han.

However, knowing this is one thing, but how to deal with it next is the key.

Emperor Jiaqing, upon receiving the urgent letter from beyond the Great Wall and burdened by long-term stress, suffered a stroke and fell ill, confined to his bed.

Originally, Emperor Jiaqing was in his prime; it was just a case of anger and frustration, and it shouldn't have been that serious. He should have recovered quickly once he vented his anger.

But what could he do when Jiaqing was addicted to drugs?
Ever since Pang Wencai went north and brought Emperor Jiaqing some tranquilizing pills, Emperor Jiaqing had been taking the drug for several years. Although he looked young, his body had long been hollowed out by the drug.

Even a minor illness can instantly revert one to their original state.

The current situation is that the important town of Xuzhou is besieged by the Han army, rebellions are breaking out in the north, and the old homeland outside the pass has been attacked by the Han army. The Qing Dynasty is engulfed in flames of war.

Unfortunately, Emperor Jiaqing suddenly fell ill, leaving no one to take charge of the situation.

Even those veteran Manchu officials weren't actually qualified to step forward. This was the Qing Dynasty, where a servant was always a servant and could never overstep their master's authority to handle affairs.

……

(End of this chapter)