You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Chapter 317 Welcoming the King's Army, Kneeling Before Chiang Kai-shek at the Gate!
In June, the sun blazed fiercely.

2500 carefully selected elite bannermen finally embarked on their journey south, each with three horses: one for riding, one for carrying loads, and one for resting.

The departure ceremony was extremely grand.

The event was marked by booming cannons, deafening drums and gongs, and the simultaneous crackling of firecrackers, with the Grand Secretary bestowing imperial wine upon the dignitaries.

Both sides were covered with cloth curtains inscribed with the Prime Minister's own handwriting.

It says:

May the traitors be punished by Heaven, and may the empire last ten thousand years!

To conquer the vast oceans and spread national power to all corners of the world
Three thousand miles of men are like dragons, ten thousand enemies fall like rain.

May my seven lives, though unfulfilled, be spent in battle, and may my loyal soul forever protect the nation.

……

"All generals, step forward! The Grand Secretary presents the sword!"

Nine Eight Banner generals dismounted, strode to the front of the platform, took their swords from the "Chief Minister" wearing a golden mask, and then returned to their respective camps.

After much thought, Jiang Qingyun couldn't come up with a better solution, so he simply divided the 2500 bannermen into nine regiments, each led by a captain, putting the eggs in nine baskets.

suddenly~
Suddenly, a rider galloped in from afar, instantly attracting the attention of everyone present.

"It looks like a woman?"

"Whose wife is so insensible?"

"To disrupt the morale of an army on a campaign is punishable by beheading."

The soldiers on horseback discussing amongst themselves, their words tinged with schadenfreude.

……

No one expected that the person who came would be Guarjia Liushu!

She spurred her horse to the front of the army and shouted loudly.

"Alinbao, for the sake of the Qing Dynasty, please die a heroic death!"

"I am already pregnant with your child. You can die in battle without worry. I will definitely give birth to your son."

Instantly, the scene erupted in uproar.

Alinbao's face alternated between red and white, then black and purple.

What is political correctness?

Guarjia Liushu is absolutely right now.

Six megaphone warriors shouted in unison:

"The Grand Secretary has decreed that bannermen will shed their blood for the country, while bannermen women will give birth at home. Excellent!"

From then on, Guarjia Liushu became famous overnight.

There is no greater loyalty than this.

……

"Let's head south, Eight Banners!"

The drumbeats were deafening.

More than 7,000 warhorses galloped together, the ground trembled, and their might was astonishing. They were about to launch a long-distance raid of 3000 li with amazing perseverance, heading straight for the heart of Hunan.

The journey from the capital to Changsha is 3000 li (approximately 1,500 kilometers).

As planned, the army was to travel 200 li per day, and could rest for half a day before arriving at Yuezhou Prefecture. After that, they would travel across the Dongting Lake Plain without stopping.

Operational objectives: Destroy supply lines, spread panic, turn local gentry to defect, and destroy the organization.

Operational area: Hunan.

This caused panic among Wu's army, cut off their food supply, and left Wu Sangui in a state of disarray.

Of course~
To think that 2500 soldiers could defeat tens of thousands of Wu troops is far too arrogant.

Therefore, Jiang Qingyun also made arrangements for a backup plan.

……

Five days ago, in Xi'an.

Governor-General Meng Qiaofang of Shaanxi and Gansu received another personal letter from the Grand Secretary and a transfer order forwarded by the Ministry of War.

Governor Meng, seeing this letter is like seeing me in person:

Wu's rebellion has ravaged the south for a long time. The vanguard of the Eight Banners' elite troops has already marched south and will launch a long-distance raid on Wu's logistics hub to disrupt their formation.

Military opportunities are fleeting. Within seven days of receiving this order, your unit must dispatch no fewer than 5000 Shaanxi-Gansu cavalrymen to cross the Yellow River and join forces with the troops of Zhili Governor-General Jiang Zhongcheng in Kaifeng. Together, they will march south.

After crossing the river, the central government took care of all the food and supplies needed by the Shaanxi-Gansu army.

Brother, you should stay in Xi'an and patiently recuperate.

I have long heard that your younger brother Qiao Mei is a hero and skilled in battle; he may go to war in your place.

In addition, 50 taels of silver, 10 shi of grain and 5 shi of salt will be escorted to Xi'an within two months to provide relief to the people.

...Meng Qiaofang hesitated, so she summoned a messenger to inquire in person.

"I wonder if the Grand Secretary has sent any message?"

"Have."

"Say it."

"The Grand Secretary said that your son is righteous and meticulous. With further training, he will surely become a pillar of the Northwest in the future."

"it is good."

Hearing this, Meng Qiaofang felt much more at ease. He was certain that Jiang Qingyun would not cause trouble in his own backyard, because there was no motive, no benefit, and no reason for it.

The chief minister simply wanted the Shaanxi-Gansu Green Standard Army to be the top enforcers in the central government. Shaanxi and Gansu lacked many things, but they had no shortage of fearless soldiers.

He swiftly mobilized troops in the name of the Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu, and summoned his younger brother, Meng Qiaomei, the General of Xi'an Garrison.

The rivalry between the Meng brothers was mainly covert, with no overt or excessive friction.

Meng Qiaomei had to accept the order. If he refused to take command, Meng Qiaofang could take the opportunity to reduce his military power.

Political infighting has always been like this.

If you don't want to flip the table, then you have to follow the rules.

……

Kaifeng, the capital of Henan Province.

Nickname: City upon City.

Throughout its long history, the Yellow River has flooded Kaifeng six times!
The word "淹" here means that the floodwaters completely submerged the area.
If a resident of Kaifeng were to take a shovel and dig into the ground, digging one zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) would reveal the city of Kaifeng during the Ming Dynasty. Digging another two zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) would reveal the city of Kaifeng during the Song Dynasty. If they continued digging, they would find the city of Kaifeng during the Tang Dynasty, the city of Kaifeng during the Northern Wei Dynasty, and even the city of Kaifeng during the Western Zhou Dynasty.

Here, a complete history of the descendants of Yan and Huang can be unearthed.

The cross-section perfectly matches the historical dynastic evolution, from the Xia Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, without missing a single one.

What is most amazing is that although Kaifeng was flooded by the Yellow River six times, the people of Kaifeng stubbornly rebuilt it on the original site time and time again.

Built on the original site.

The reason why the people of Kaifeng are so stubborn is that they have nowhere to move. The surrounding area is all plains for hundreds of miles, and they would be flooded no matter where they moved. So they simply refused to move an inch and stubbornly stuck to the Yellow River next to them.

……

Kaifeng, the Governor's Office.

"Report! The Governor-General of Zhili has sent a letter."

"Bring it here quickly."

Governor Jia Hanfu hurriedly opened the package, and instantly his forehead was covered in cold sweat.

To Governor Jia himself
Now that China has been revitalized and order restored, your Henan region has repeatedly resisted grain levies and forced labor, disobeying the central government and displaying unruly behavior. Do you intend to establish yourself independently? Or have you been coerced by your subordinates?

Henan has been a strategic location since ancient times.

By order of the Cabinet, I have personally led 3 elite troops to the north bank of the Yellow River. In addition, 2 elite troops from Shaanxi and Gansu have set out from Tongguan and will soon arrive outside Kaifeng.

Within 3 days.

If you do not give a clear answer, I will disregard past relations and exterminate all the officials and gentry in Kaifeng.

Jia Hanfu paced back and forth nervously.

"What should I do?"

His trusted advisor, who was also his cousin, whispered, "Governor, Kaifeng has high walls and thick walls, and plenty of food. We might be able to hold out against them."

"Have you forgotten that Eight Banners cavalry that passed through the border a few days ago?"

"Your Excellency, there are very few Manchu bannermen left in the capital. I estimate that only this many people remain."

"Even so, the imperial court still has the Green Standard Army of Zhili and the Green Standard Army of Shaanxi and Gansu. Can our Henan Green Standard Army withstand it?"

After careful consideration, Jia Hanfu decided to send two trusted confidants across the river to the north bank for negotiations.

Although Jiang Zhongcheng's letter was aggressive, it may have contained a hint that he would let him off the hook, so there was still room for discussion.

Sure enough~
After several rounds of negotiations, the other party gave its final bottom line.

The conditions for Henan's re-incorporation are as follows:

First, the governor summoned all officials of the eighth rank and above from across the province to Kaifeng for a meeting.

Second, open the city gates and allow the army to enter Kaifeng.

Third, effective immediately, the Henan Green Camp will be under the unified command of the central government.
Fourth, the governor's office shall issue a "List of Rebellious Officials in the Province", which shall not be less than 30% of the current number of officials of the seventh rank.

Fifth, the central government will send officials to take over the provincial judicial commissioner's office and dispatch inspecting censors.

……

When news came that a large number of Shaanxi and Gansu cavalry were advancing on Zhengzhou, the governor of Henan, Jia Hanfu, made a decisive decision to welcome the royal army and kneel before Chiang Kai-shek!
The gates of Kaifeng were wide open.

Under supervision, the Green Standard Army soldiers of the city defense returned to their respective camps and were not allowed to move without permission.

The civil and military officials and gentry of Kaifeng collectively went out of the city, knelt on both sides to welcome the royal army, and presented a "list of traitorous officials of this province" in public.

(End of this chapter)