Qing Yao

Chapter 207 The Old Master Can Only Rely on Us
Old Ding was a top-ranking scholar in the imperial examinations, and Old Song was a successful candidate in the provincial examinations. Both had received a good education in the traditional scholar-official system, and both were "officials" of the Qing Dynasty. They would be more than willing to follow him to take out small loans to buy official positions and make money. However, to get them to completely abandon their loyalty to the emperor and their patriotism and start a revolution without any burden, in addition to offering them incentives, it was necessary to create a strong sense of crisis for them.

Only when they realize that a crisis is imminent and will definitely affect them will the two traditional bureaucrats be able to change their stance, accept the "new" things, and thus become a member of the revolution, or even directly become the leader of the revolution.

The success of the anti-Qing revolution at the end of the Qing Dynasty was not due to the New Army in Wuchang rebelling first, but because more than a dozen provinces subsequently declared independence.

The leaders of these provinces that declared independence were the local gentry and officials who changed their minds.

If these provinces had not responded to the Wuchang Uprising, the Qing Dynasty would not have been able to fall with just the three towns of Wuhan.

The reason why officials and gentry who were loyal to the Qing government changed their stance to support the revolution was simply because they were disappointed with the Qing government and had a great sense of crisis about the future of the country.

Therefore, if a sense of crisis is used well, it can at least draw away half of the old man's team.

Scams, predatory lending schemes, and "pig butchering" scams that leave officials with huge debts they can't repay are minor crises; the real crisis is letting them know that even if they have the money to repay, they might not be alive to continue serving as officials.

"My grandson heard that there are White Lotus sect members secretly spreading their teachings in Henan, Hubei, Sichuan, and Shaanxi. This White Lotus sect worships the Eternal Mother and Maitreya Buddha, saying that Maitreya Buddha will transform the world in the future, so that the poor will no longer be poor and the rich will no longer be rich. Many ignorant people believe in this, and as a result, the number of followers of this sect is increasing day by day."

The crisis Zhao An presented was the White Lotus Rebellion four years later. To be precise, he presented a crisis that would actually happen, only this crisis was described as more severe, meaning that its impact would no longer be limited to the original three provinces of Sichuan, Hubei, Shaanxi, and Henan, but would extend to most of China, or even the whole of China.

It would have to be at least on the scale of Li Zicheng's regime.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to achieve the "sensational" effect.

If it's not alarming enough, Lao Ding and Lao Song might not feel a sense of crisis.

"Grandfather must know that the White Lotus Sect has always been an enemy of the government. During the Yuan Dynasty, Han Shantong led a rebellion on the Yellow River. During the Ming Dynasty, there were sects led by Tang Sai'er, Cai Boguan, and Xu Hongru. In this dynasty, Wang Lun from Shandong and Liu Song from Henan also launched two uprisings. Although the court has repeatedly cracked down on the sect, it is like a centipede that does not die but does not fall. At present, the White Lotus sect is spreading everywhere."

According to Zhao An, he learned about the White Lotus Sect from some lower-level members of the canal gangs during his research on the Grand Canal. He pointed out that he believed the White Lotus Sect was very likely to launch an uprising in the mountainous areas bordering Sichuan, Hubei, and Shaanxi in the next two years, because a large number of starving people had recently flocked to this area, which were referred to as refugees by local officials.

Conservative estimates put the number at around one million.

Refugees are the best source of soldiers for the White Lotus Sect, and at the very beginning of the uprising, hundreds of thousands or even more rebels may have risen up.

"The current emperor has been on the throne for fifty years. Now, seven or eight tenths of the land in Zhili is owned by the Manchus, and half of the fertile land in Jiangsu and Zhejiang has fallen into the hands of salt merchants. Corruption is rampant in the officialdom, and there are few honest and capable people!"

Former Zhejiang Governor Wang Danwang and Huguang Governor-General Chen Huizu both died by the sword, but how much silver did the imperial court confiscate? It was nothing more than a few scraps from the granaries of the prefectures and counties!
Now, the Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang, Wu Lana, dared to conceal even the popular uprising in Taiwan, yet he managed to remain in office by paying a fine for his crimes. Tell me, is there any hope for this country? Not to mention Yin Zhuangtu, who dared to impeach the practice of paying fines for crimes that harmed the country, not only failed to achieve anything but was also dismissed from his post!

Zhao An wrote a lengthy and eloquent argument, directly pointing out the old master's incompetence and attributing the old master's policies of selling official positions and redemption to the root cause of official corruption.

Corruption among officials is rampant, land annexation is severe, the people are starving, cults are spreading everywhere and attracting ignorant masses, and the emperor is an octogenarian with a senile mind. By all accounts, a great upheaval is imminent. "If the White Lotus Rebellion were to break out again, do you think the court could contain it, Grandfather? At that time, I'm afraid the whole country would be engulfed in flames of war, and where would officials find safety?"

Zhao An sighed softly, "I don't want to be tied up and hanged on the city wall by the rioters, or have my head cut off and hung under the flagpole."

Old Song was probably so shocked by the chaos Zhao An described that his breathing became shallow. As the head of the county education bureau, he must have been well-versed in history. It would have been better if he hadn't analyzed it; once he did, he realized that the current Qianlong era was just a scene before the dynasty's collapse.

The corruption of officials alone is an undeniable fact.

Old Ding remained unmoved, frowning as he said, "Even if what you say is true, the rebels are nothing more than cult members and refugees. No matter how many there are, they will be wiped out as soon as the government troops arrive. What is there to worry about? Since the beginning of our dynasty, there have been countless rebellions. When have they ever been able to overthrow our great Qing dynasty? Let alone this little White Lotus."

"Does Grandfather think these soldiers are still usable?"

Zhao An shook his head and smiled bitterly, "In my opinion, the soldiers of the government are now corrupt and useless. Those who flee at the sight of thieves are the bravest, those who flee at the first sign of trouble are the moderately brave, and those who flee because of mishearing are the least brave. Otherwise, how could the elite guards of the Grand Canal Transport Office be no match for a group of canal workers?"

Old Song nodded after hearing this, looking deeply convinced: "That's true. Not to mention the soldiers of the Grand Canal Administration, even our Yangzhou Green Standard Army is so rotten that it's a laughing stock."

Upon hearing this, Old Ding glared at Old Song and snorted, "Even if the Green Standard Army is useless, my Great Qing still has the Eight Banners!"

"The Eight Banners?"

Zhao An smiled and said, "Grandfather, do you really think that the Eight Banners soldiers in the capital can still fight on the battlefield? As far as I know, the Eight Banners can only field one or two thousand Solon soldiers now. The rest are probably even worse than the Green Standard Army."

Then he mentioned something: the imperial court was going to launch a major military campaign against the plateau next year. For this purpose, famous Eight Banner generals such as Fukang'an and Hailancha went to the northwest. The plateau was extremely high, and people from the plains would definitely get sick if they stayed there for a long time. Therefore, he predicted that even if the plateau was pacified, the Eight Banner generals who went on the expedition would definitely have health problems after returning.

Therefore, Zhao An was certain that the White Lotus Sect was truly going to rebel, and the old master in the capital was facing not only a lack of soldiers but also a lack of generals.

"The Green Standard Army can't be fought, and the Eight Banners are also short-handed. If the White Lotus rebels really do, what will the court use to suppress them?"

Old Song has raised a good question.

"We Han officials are helpless because the court has no soldiers to use and we cannot sit idly by while the rebels grow stronger. If I am not mistaken, the court will definitely delegate power to us Han officials and allow us to recruit local militia to form local militias to suppress the White Lotus rebels. Therefore, we must prepare in advance and borrow as much money as possible from the emperor to buy official positions and high-ranking posts. Otherwise, we will not be qualified to form local militias."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Now that we have troops at our disposal, do you two think the Emperor would have the nerve to ask us for the little bit of silver we owe him?"

(End of this chapter)