Qing Yao

Chapter 372 Where there is a lucky general, there is a Zhao general!

Zhao An once tried to recruit Xie Hongyi and Yang Biao, two notorious salt bandits active in northern Anhui, out of a simple sense of "class sentiment".

It wasn't that the rebels were naturally sympathetic to each other, but rather that Xie and Yang had a bit of a chivalrous spirit, stipulating that their subordinates "only sell smuggled salt, not rob," and even occasionally helping the local poor. In addition, they were selling smuggled salt at prices much lower than the official price, so they had a very good popular base in northern Anhui.

Compared to these salt bandits, the government soldiers were more like bandits themselves.

In some ways, Xie and Yang are somewhat like "Wang Yuan" who once occupied Shengshan in Jiangxi in Zhao An's previous life, or like the one who dared to cause trouble with two kitchen knives in hand. They are forces that can be united and won over, and if they cooperate well, they can even become a hegemonic force that can dominate the world.

Those who dared to disregard government prohibitions and risk selling smuggled salt were undoubtedly desperate criminals. These people were naturally fearless, and the fighting capacity of the Anhui Green Standard Army was too poor. With the support of the people, the local government's repeated attempts to suppress the two traitors, Xie and Yang, all failed.

According to Liu Bao, a member of the White Lotus sect who defected after being arrested, Xie and Yang had more than 3000 salt bandits under their command. Not only were both recruited as disciples by Liu Zhixie, the leader of the White Lotus sect, but Liu Zhixie also gave Xie and Yang a batch of weapons that his master Liu Song had secretly made in his early years to strengthen their forces. It seems that he wanted to turn the desperate men under Xie and Yang's command into the "Tianyun Army," which was being secretly trained in the deep mountains and forests of Hubei.

If it weren't for the "radical" faction within the sect rashly launching an uprising in Suzhou, which was promptly suppressed by Zhao An, giving Liu Zhixie two or three years to painstakingly build up his forces, the Anhui White Lotus Sect army might have truly become a major force, just like those in Hubei and Sichuan.

In that case, the scope, the population affected, and the overall scale of this White Lotus Rebellion would be far more intense and larger than those of Zhao An's previous life.

It should be noted that the failure of the White Lotus Rebellion was not only due to the unstable leadership and lack of effective command, but also because they were constantly fighting in Sichuan, Shaanxi, Hubei, and Henan, and never threatened the heartland of the Central Plains or the wealthy southeast.

But if Anhui were in control, things would be different. It could cut off the Grand Canal on the left and send troops into the south of the Yangtze River on the right, creating a momentum that could rival the Three Feudatories Rebellion.

If Zhao An had not been in charge of Anhui, he might have secretly encouraged or even directly supported the uprising, trying to create chaos in Anhui and reap the benefits. But now that Anhui is in his hands, it is a key base for the "small loan party," and he will not allow the White Lotus sect in Anhui to rise again.

Therefore, the only option is to sacrifice Xie and Yang.

Even if they were righteous men who cherished the Ming Dynasty, they should still be executed.

It's a pity. Zhao An originally planned to stabilize the situation by pacifying Xie and Yang and then integrate their forces into a staunch anti-Qing force. He never expected that they would be so ungrateful.

This is not only a challenge to Zhao An's personal authority, but also a huge threat to Anhui's nascent business environment.

Southern and northern Anhui were both key areas of Zhao An's business. Although the economy of northern Anhui was not as good as that of southern Anhui, it was adjacent to northern Jiangsu, a salt-producing area, and served as a bridgehead into the Central Plains. It was also related to the safety of the Grand Canal. No matter how much Zhao An supported bandits, he could not allow Xie and Yang, who had already joined the White Lotus Sect, to occupy the area.

Why did the two refuse to accept the offer of amnesty? Was it because Zhao An's offer was not enough?

The answer is definitely not!

Zhao An's offer was quite generous. It could be said that he not only helped Xie and Yang clear their identities and make them mid-to-high-ranking military officers in the Qing Dynasty, but also gave them the guise of legitimate salt merchants to continue to profit from salt. By all accounts, he gave them everything he could.

However, the two still refused to be granted amnesty, which could only be for one reason: they fundamentally distrusted the government.

Or perhaps it's because I've read too much of "Water Margin".

To surrender is to surrender, and surrender never ends well.

If it were Zhao An, he would probably also choose not to cooperate.

Who knows if you, Lord Zhao, keep your word? What if someone brings their brothers down the mountain to join you, only to be buried alive by you in the blink of an eye?
Scholars are all ruthless.

The great Confucian scholar was even more cunning and ruthless.

Zeng, Zuo, and Li all carried out large-scale massacres of surrendered Taiping soldiers.

Moreover, Xie and Yang also have the confidence not to cooperate.

Although the 3000 salt bandits may not seem like a large number, their actual fighting strength is at least equivalent to about 10,000 Qing troops. With the added "religious" support of the White Lotus Sect and the local people, Zhao An would need to mobilize at least 12,000 Green Standard Army soldiers to wipe them out.

How many soldiers does the Green Standard Army have in Anhui now?
The Huaibei garrison in northern Anhui had about 6,000 men, and the Shouchun garrison in southern Anhui had about 7,000 men. Including the Fu Biao garrison directly commanded by the governor, the total strength was only about 15,000 men.

During the previous major disaster in northern Anhui, Huaibei Town suffered considerable losses, and its current combat strength may only be around 4,000 men. Shouchun Town, on the other hand, did not suffer any major losses, but after the White Lotus Rebellion ended, Zhao An, in the name of acting governor, transferred it back to its original garrison area. The reason was that the Huainan troops had also committed arson, murder, and looting in northern Anhui, and the bad things they did were no less than those of the governor's troops.

The root cause is the word "guest" itself.

It was also a traditional "virtue" of the Qing army.

If they weren't local soldiers, even if they came to reclaim lost territory, they would first slaughter the local people. Even if they weren't reclaiming lost territory and were just passing through, chaos would ensue along the way.

The Qing court's consistent attitude toward this was tacit acceptance.

Of course, it is also related to the fact that former President Chu Kuei indulged the pro-independence camp due to his own predicament.

Zhao An sent all the soldiers back, and it will take at least half a month to regroup them.

Without any hesitation, Zhao An, in his capacity as acting governor, convened an emergency military meeting at the governor's office.

In addition to the generals of the Fubiao Army, the generals of the Anqing garrison and the Anqing detachment of local troops also attended the military council, as well as other personnel related to military affairs.

Provincial Surveillance Commissioner Zhang Chengji, as the "second-in-command," was also invited to attend the meeting. The reason was that Zhao An hoped that this "political" ally could play a role in the judicial field, namely, mobilizing judicial forces in various regions to assist in the suppression of bandits.

The old master Xu, who had just signed a loan of 50,000 taels of silver, was not invited. The reason was that military affairs were unrelated to education, and the situation in Anhui was not so bad that the old master needed to step forward to call on scholars to actively join the army.

Anqing Prefect Song Jiawen and Salt Commissioner Cui were also invited to attend. The reason why local officials and the Salt Commissioner were invited must have been related to money.

When the cannon is fired, there is a thousand taels of gold.

They need to help resolve some issues related to military spending.

Upon receiving the meeting notice, the officials rushed to the governor's office in sedan chairs and sedan chairs. Upon arrival, they were directly ushered into the second hall, where they were greeted by a huge map that had been hastily made at some unknown time.

Unaware of the meeting's contents, the officials tried to find out more, but none of them knew.

It wasn't until Zheng Fuyang, the official in charge of the governor's office, arrived that everyone realized that the White Lotus sect members in Fengyang had rebelled again.

This is definitely an exaggeration. In reality, Xie and Yang simply refused to be offered amnesty and did not lead their troops in rebellion.

Why then falsely accuse them of rebellion?
It was for "political propaganda".

Which sounds more prestigious: Zhao An personally went to Fengyang to quell the White Lotus Rebellion as acting governor, or he mobilized the entire province's Green Standard Army to besiege salt smugglers in Fengyang as acting governor? Which brought greater rewards afterward?

However, it can't be called a frame-up; it's a fact that Xie Hongyi and Yang Biao participated in the White Lotus Rebellion. That's the gist of it; even arresting a platoon leader had to be reported as arresting a division commander.

Moreover, in order to completely eliminate Xie and Yang and eradicate the "banditry" in northern Anhui, Zhao An devised a "four main and six corners" strangulation plan involving Anhui and Jiangsu provinces overnight.

This plan is modeled after the one used by Yang Sichang, the Minister of War at the end of the Ming Dynasty, to besiege Zhang Xianzhong. Just hearing the name is enough to make one's heart tremble.

Why go through all that trouble?
Nothing more than seizing power!
Seize military power.

At Lao Song's suggestion, Zhao An took advantage of this opportunity to mobilize troops to suppress bandits and seized control of the Green Standard Army in Huaibei Town in northern Anhui and Shouchun Town in southern Anhui.

It doesn't mean replacing all the Green Standard Army generals in these two towns, but rather taking all the elite Green Standard Army troops in these two towns under his own command and, in the name of acting governor, reporting to the court to reorganize the elite Green Standard Army troops in Anhui into the Huai-character New Army.

To achieve this goal, Xie and Yang certainly couldn't be salt merchants; they had to be top rebel leaders.

This matter didn't even require the old master's approval; Fu Chang'an, who was in charge of the Ministry of War, just needed to nod.

If Sifu doesn't agree, Zhao An might not want to pay the interest for the next period.

"He's handsome!"

To the officials' even greater surprise, it wasn't "Lord Zhao has arrived" that was called from outside the door, but "The Commander-in-Chief has arrived."

"Grand Marshal" was an honorific title used in the Qing Dynasty for high-ranking military commanders. Generally, only imperial commissioners, ministers of military command, and advisors were entitled to be called "Grand Marshal." In local areas, only governors-general and governors were entitled to this title, although the latter often had fewer troops under their command than the former three.

He belongs to the "young handsome man" category, not the "great handsome man" category.

Zhao An was the acting governor, and theoretically he was not qualified to be addressed as "Grand Marshal". However, he was different from other governors and viceroys. He not only had a yellow riding jacket and a double-eyed peacock feather, but also the Ebilun sword bestowed by the emperor. It was certainly not a problem for him to be addressed as "Grand Marshal".

But there's no reason for someone to call you "General" like that.

The officials in the hall looked at each other, feeling that the title "General" was a bit awkward, after all, this was the governor's office, not a temporary headquarters at the front.

Even Song Jiawen, the prefect of Anqing who was the first to pledge allegiance to Zhao An and is now highly regarded by Zhao An for his vigorous development of industry and commerce, felt awkward.

At this critical moment, someone broke the silence in the hall and said, "In the court there is Commander Fu, and in Anhui there is Commander Zhao. These are the two pillars of the Qing Dynasty."

The one who said this was none other than the Provincial Judge Zhang Chengji.

General Fu?
The officials couldn't help but think of the rumors brought by the merchants who came to Jiangning to "invest"—that the young Lord Zhao in front of them, like Commander Fu who was leading the army to conquer the plateau, was the current emperor's own flesh and blood!

Fukang'an is the Grand Marshal, but Lord Zhao isn't?

Thinking about it more deeply, does the fact that Lord Zhao openly allowed others to call him "Commander" mean that Lord Zhao was well aware of his own background?
Without hesitation or further thought, a chorus of "Greetings, Commander!" immediately rang out in the second hall.

Zhao An was dressed very formally, not only wearing a yellow jacket over his second-rank official robes, but also with a double-eyed peacock feather in his hair, and he even wore the imperial-bestowed Shangfang sword, Ebilun, at his waist. At first glance, he was truly handsome and extraordinary—no, he was exceptionally heroic!

"Everyone, please take a seat."

Zhao An looked around at the officials and nodded slightly: "Yesterday, I received an urgent military report from Fengyang. Xie Hongyi and Yang Biao, the White Lotus Sect traitors, have gathered a crowd to rebel. Fengyang Prefecture is now in imminent danger. I have decided to personally lead the army into battle. I have invited you all here today to discuss this expedition."

After speaking, without waiting for the officials to digest his words, he walked straight to the huge map hanging in the sky, picked up the bamboo whip that had been placed there beforehand, and pointed it at the map: "The two traitors, Xie and Yang, have repeatedly resisted the government troops in the past, and the previous attempts to suppress them failed because they could not be trapped or killed. Therefore, I will lay a net so that the traitors will not be able to escape!"

After a brief pause, the bamboo whip lashed across the four prefectures and states. "The four prefectures and states are designated as the 'Four Main Zones'! These 'Four Main Zones' are the core battle zones for the campaign. The governments of these four places must mobilize all their resources to clear the fields and fortify the defenses, and provide the army with all necessary provisions, fodder, and laborers. At the same time, they must mobilize the forces of the prefectures and counties to cooperate with the army's actions, and step by step squeeze out the areas where the bandits are active!"

Then, the bamboo whip extended outwards, "Yangzhou, Huai'an, Xuzhou, Chuzhou, Suzhou, and Bozhou are the 'six corners'! These 'six corners' are the outer blockade line, and all key waterways and land routes must be closely patrolled to ensure that the salt bandits do not escape!"

The officials stared intently at the direction Zhao An was pointing with his bamboo whip. Whether they understood military affairs or not, they all nodded as if they understood.

Immediately, some people realized something was wrong: Yangzhou, Huai'an, and Xuzhou, three of the "six corners," are all in Jiangsu Province, and Anhui cannot mobilize them.

Zhao An had his own plan: "I have already sent a letter to the Governor-General's Office of Liangjiang, detailing how the trouble caused by the White Lotus in northern Anhui has endangered the stability of the Grand Canal, the salt administration, and the joint governance of Liangjiang. I earnestly request the Governor-General's Office to strictly order the troops stationed in Yangzhou, Huai'an, and Xuzhou to set up checkpoints and patrol simultaneously, and to strike down any bandits they encounter, so as to form an encirclement and ensure that no bandit escapes!"

Everyone nodded in agreement. With the Viceroy of Liangjiang's office coordinating the deployment of troops from the three prefectures of Jiangsu to cooperate with the Anhui Green Standard Army, the battle would be much safer.

It was not only much safer, but Zhao An's official document to the Governor-General's office of Liangjiang also implored the Governor-General to send a force of no less than a thousand men to participate in the war.

Unfortunately, Zhao An had very few capable Green Standard Army soldiers from Anhui that he could mobilize. Even if Yangzhou, Huai'an, and Xuzhou, the three neighboring regions in northern Anhui, could send troops to help, their forces would still be stretched thin.

Setting down the bamboo whip, Zhao An's voice suddenly rose: "Where is Fu Biao!"

"The general is here!"

The officers of the Fubiao Army, led by Commander Dudu, quickly bowed and stepped forward.

"Your unit shall set off immediately tomorrow to Fengyang Prefecture to await orders. Remember, your unit is the central army of this commander and also the force supervising the battle!"

"Whoo!"

Immediately afterwards, Commander Zhao's proclamations to mobilize troops flew to various parts of Anhui as if they had sprouted wings.

"Order the General of Shouchun Garrison to lead 1,200 elite troops to Fengyang!"

"Order Deputy Commander Anqing to dispatch 500 elite troops!"

"Order the deputy commander of Huizhou to dispatch 500 elite soldiers!"

"Order the guerrilla commanders of Sizhou, Luzhou, and Chuzhou to each select 500 elite soldiers!"

"Order the Lianghuai Salt Administration to select 400 soldiers familiar with the terrain and place them under your command!"

"."

Each proclamation ended with the same sentence: "The military situation is urgent and cannot be delayed. All troops must assemble outside Fengyang City within fifteen days! Any delay, regardless of rank or position, will be dealt with according to military law without leniency!"

(End of this chapter)