The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 394 The Bannermen Are Not Bannermen at All
"His Majesty!"

Mo Zibu, who was holding a bowl and preparing to eat vegetarian food in Xishan Temple, was almost scared to drop the bowl by the crying.

He looked up and saw that the real heavyweight Jiangnan literati had arrived.

Wang Niansun, a native of Gaoyou, Jiangsu Province, was a Jinshi in the 1775th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign () and was awarded the title of Hanlin Academy Scholar. He was proficient in river knowledge and could be considered a rare technical bureaucrat who was a Jinshi.

His father, Wang Anguo, was also a Jinshi and served as the governor of Zhaogao in Guangdong.

At the end of 1777, the news that Mo Zibu had accepted the imperial order in Guangzhou reached Beijing, and he immediately resigned from his official position and headed south.

He was the first Qing official to turn against the Qing Dynasty, apart from well-informed bigwigs like Cai Xin and Yu Minzhong.

Even Cai Xin and Yu Minzhong could only be considered as paving the way for the retreat. Wang Niansun was the first person to truly abandon everything and turn against the enemy.

However, they did not come to Mo Zibu immediately, but went home to settle their families before choosing to take the risk and go south.

So before he went far south, Qianlong began to plunder the Jiangnan area.

Mo Zibu looked at Wang Niansun in shock. This thirty-year-old Qing Dynasty scholar had seemed quite steady when he came to seek refuge some time ago, but he didn't expect that he looked like his father had died today.

"Your Majesty, Qianlong, no, the Tartars have been levying heavy taxes and plundering the people of Jiangnan. They have also used the Yizhulou Poetry Case to continuously implicate the literati. Even the descendants of Shen Deqian have been detained, their property confiscated, and hundreds of other gentry families have been victimized."

Wang Niansun cried twice more, and tears fell down his face like beads from a broken string.

"The people of Jiangnan are also the people of the Han nation, and the scholars of Jiangnan are also your Majesty's subjects. You can't just care about the people of Guangdong, Zhangzhou and Quanzhou and ignore the rest of the people!"

Damn it, Mo Zibu looked surprised on the surface, but he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. He had finally waited until this moment.

Because what Mo Zibu wants is not a superficial Jiangnan.

On the surface, Jiangnan pays you hundreds of thousands of taels of silver in taxes every year, but you cannot change its inner workings at all, it is still an iron plate.

History is a mirror. What the Ming Dynasty obtained back then was just a superficial Jiangnan, and it is obvious to all how badly it was harmed by the people of Jiangnan.

These guys control the economic and cultural high ground. As long as it is a Han dynasty, after a few decades, the court will be full of people from Jiangnan, and policies will begin to favor them.

This is not unacceptable, but we cannot just let them do whatever they want.

Moreover, Mo Zibu did not have an Eight Banners Group to balance him and prevent the Qing Dynasty from hurting the high-ranking scholars in Jiangnan. How could they regard Mo Zibu as a savior and liberator?

Without the halo of a savior and liberator, how could Mo Zibu quickly control the entire Jiangnan from top to bottom?

As for the money that the Qing Dynasty took away from Jiangnan, that was only a small amount. The amount of money these high-ranking civil servants who had been in office for hundreds or thousands of years had was absolutely beyond everyone's imagination, and it was not something that the Qing Dynasty could take away in a short period of time.

"Really?" Thinking of this, Mo Zibu started to act sarcastic.

"You, Wang Niansun, are indeed a member of the Han ethnic group and one of my subjects. I acknowledge this because you, for the sake of national justice, gave up your bright future with the Tartars and joined the light.

But the others, not only have they not sent anyone to see me, they haven't even sent a single letter. How can they become my subjects, and how can they expect my warriors to sacrifice their flesh and blood to save them from danger?"

Hearing what Mo Zibu said, Wang Niansun, who was just crying out of anxiety, suddenly became embarrassed.

He thought about it and it seemed to be true. It didn't seem reasonable to ask others to mobilize soldiers to fight just because he cried a few times.

Ah, no, no!
Wang Niansun suddenly shook his head rapidly and was almost led into a ditch by Mo Zibu.

"Your Majesty once said in the Theory of Righteousness, Loyalty and Treachery that you are the protector of the Han nation. All Han people in the world have the obligation to follow in your footsteps and revive the Han nation, and you also have the obligation to protect them.

Jiangnan at this moment needs your Majesty's protection!

Furthermore, Your Majesty is determined to uphold the Great Tang and Great Ming, and will never be like the two Song dynasties, who were content with a corner. Isn't it the right time to launch a northern expedition to save the people of Jiangnan from disaster?"

Uh, now it was Mo Zibu's turn to be choked. Words like obligation, responsibility, and protector were from Mo Zibu's Theory of Righteousness, Loyalty and Treachery. As soon as you heard them, you can tell that Wang Niansun had read the book carefully.

"My dear minister, it seems that you have read this book of mine carefully." Mo Zibu was thinking of resigning in his mind, but he changed the subject first.

"Yes, it was because I read your Majesty's theory of righteousness, loyalty and treachery that I was given a wake-up call, so I took the risk and went south from Zhili." Wang Niansun answered seriously.

"So, my dear minister, you should also understand that in this era when Western learning is gradually emerging and China has been dragged down by the Tartars for two hundred years, it is no longer possible to revive the nation by relying on a single king.

Think about the Ming Dynasty in the past. You, the scholars in the south of the Yangtze River, organized the Donglin Party, occupied the court, cracked down on dissidents, competed with the country for profits, and exploited the people.

It is said that the court is full of righteous people, but the country is even worse than during the Wei Zhongxian period. Have these lessons been learned?
Since you all know that I have come to drive out the Tartars and restore our country, why, apart from a few like you, Wang Niansun, Qian Dazhao, and Zhang Fu, have few of you surrendered to the wise master?

Wang Niansun was so ashamed that he blushed and didn't raise his head for a long time. When he thought that their Donglin Party was not even as good as Wei Zhongxian in governing the country, he felt so embarrassed that he wanted to die.

After a long while, Wang Niansun raised his head and said, "Your Majesty, we Jiangnan people have realized our mistakes. Please forgive us and save us."

Mo Zibu pointed at Wang Niansun and said, "Remember, speak for whoever you can represent.

If you can't represent all the people in Jiangnan, don't mention the people in Jiangnan.

What annoys me most is that you guys clearly have ulterior motives, yet you still use the guise of speaking for the people!"

"The people of Jiangnan have done nothing wrong. They do not need to admit their mistakes. They worked hard in the fields and paid their due taxes. They also resisted the Tartars when they came south.

They only took a little benefit from this country, and they have returned it all to the country.

Only you, a bunch of Jiangnan scholars, have taken great benefits but ruined the country!

You should try to go back to Jiangnan and ask those high-ranking nobles and noble families whether they are worthy of Zhang Huangyan, Shi Kefa, Xia Yunyi, Chen Zilong and others.

Do they still feel ashamed when they look at the statues of Yue Fei and Yu Zhongsu by the West Lake?
I will definitely send troops to drive out the Tartars and recover our country.

I will still make use of the scholars in Jiangnan, but you must understand clearly that Dayu will never tolerate you in the future, just like it did in the Ming Dynasty.

If you are willing to accept it, then each of you can write a letter of repentance. I will still discuss with you how to govern Jiangnan in the future.

If you don't want to accept it, then quickly go and surrender to the Tartars. I can use their blood to comfort the souls in heaven!"

Wang Niansun was released as if he had been pardoned, his ears were red.

It was the first time that he felt Mo Zibu's courage so intuitively. This was an emperor who knew exactly what he wanted and would not be bound by the Confucian sage ruler.

After Wang Niansun left, Mo Zibu quickly summoned senior military generals in Guangzhou, including Li Xianwen, Chen Guangyao, Reinstein, Moritz Kruger, and Wang Wubing, and asked Wu Xing to inform them of the Qing Dynasty's actions in Jiangnan.

"The Tartars are abandoning Jiangnan. At least they won't fight us there," Li Xianwen said first. "Their strategy is to drain Jiangnan's wealth in a short period of time, then store it in the Central Plains for a decisive battle with us."

"I agree with Marquis Yinchuan's statement." Wang Wubing stood up and said, "The biggest reason they did this is that the recovery capabilities of my Great Yu and the Qing Dynasty are simply not on the same level.

After a year of demobilization, conscription and training, the military strength of Dayu has increased compared to before the Battle of Beihe.

As for the Qing Dynasty, judging from the intelligence we have received, both its recruitment of the New Han Army in Zhili and its attempt to relaunch the Green Camp in Shaanxi and Gansu were much slower than they expected.

Intelligence shows that so far, the Qing Dynasty has only achieved 8,000 of its goal of recruiting 30,000 new Han troops from the Eight Banners in Zhili.

Twenty thousand of the thirty thousand Shaanxi-Gansu Green Camp were recruited, but apart from cold weapons such as swords and guns, there was a serious shortage of muskets and artillery.

For the Qing Dynasty, the Battle of Beihe not only caused losses in manpower, but also suffered greater losses in artillery and artillerymen who knew how to read scales and measure ballistics.

This resulted in them being unable to form an army in a short period of time, and they were afraid to fight against our army in Jiangnan."

After Wang Wubing finished speaking, Reinstein scratched his head. He still couldn't understand it, "But Your Majesty, I still think it's very strange.

The three provinces where Jiangnan is located are the most important tax collection areas for the entire Qing Dynasty. Without Jiangnan, they would lose half of their territory.

Emperor Qianlong was not a foolish monarch. Why didn't he implement the policy of winning over Jiangnan officials and landlords instead of pushing them towards us?

Mo Zibu snorted coldly, "Precisely because Emperor Qianlong is not incompetent, he won't fight us in Jiangnan, because he knows what they did in Jiangnan!
"Ten days of Yangzhou, three massacres of Jiading!" Mo Zibu clenched his fists until they creaked, "Anyone who is human will never forget such a deep hatred!
This is not something that can be bought with simple benefits. No matter how much Qianlong gives, he cannot win the hearts and minds of the people in Jiangnan, so he simply gives up.

"There's another reason, Your Majesty!" Chief of Staff Maurice Kruger said:
"I and the officers of the General Staff have reviewed the Battle of Beihe and have come to an important conclusion: the greatest casualties suffered by our army in the Battle of Beihe were not from artillery or muskets, but from cavalry.

Especially on the left wing, they almost defeated our army, and even Lieutenant General Chen Lian was seriously injured.

Therefore, this may make the Qing rulers continue to believe that their biggest trump card is not the guns and cannons, but the more powerful cavalry. "

Moritz Kruger pointed at the areas of Lianghuai, southeastern Henan, and southwestern Shandong on the map.

"The Qing Dynasty certainly hopes to fight a decisive battle with us in this area. As long as they defeat us with their cavalry, it will be easy for them to move south again and retake Jiangnan."

Reinstein understood. "It seems that this Tatar emperor and his Tatar generals do have some ability. They are determined to give up such a huge fortune just to quickly lick their wounds and deal us a fatal blow."

"It's just that they don't know." Mo Zibu smiled contemptuously, "In just half a year, we have tripled the production of muskets and more than doubled the production of artillery. The saltpeter purchased from Europe has also arrived.

In addition, there are 800 Hun cavalry brought by Rakoczi Zog. Their joining gives us a reinforced cavalry regiment.

The combat effectiveness of the Xing Tang Army has completely exceeded their expectations."

"Go down and prepare, generals." Mo Zibu clenched his fists. "This time, let's once again defeat these Tungus bandits!"

. . . .

Shandong, on the banks of the Grand Canal, Linqing Prefecture.

Mo Zibu and his generals fully anticipated the Qing Dynasty's reaction. Qianlong's harsh oppression of Jiangnan was due to these reasons.

The mobilization and training of the army had not yet been completed, and the Qing Dynasty's crimes in Jiangnan were so deep that they did not dare to trust the people of Jiangnan at all.

In order to escape punishment, Fukang'an and Hailancha, especially Hailancha, exaggerated the role of the cavalry and regarded the serious injury to Chen Lian as his achievement.

In order to reduce the negative impact of the disastrous defeat at Beihe, Qianlong also tried his best to boast about the achievements of Hailancha and the cavalry, and portrayed the disastrous defeat at Beihe as a fierce battle in which the two sides were almost evenly matched.

So now the entire Qing Dynasty is summarizing that the reason for the defeat in the Battle of Beihe was that the soft sand on the banks of the Fuliang River limited the speed of the cavalry, otherwise the Xing Tang army would have been defeated by the Qing cavalry.

"Your Majesty, are we really going to give up Jiangnan?" Fu Kang'an whispered, "What a wonderful place!"

Qianlong looked extremely haggard, or rather, this was the true physical condition of a 67-year-old man.

"You have to sacrifice in order to gain." Qianlong looked towards the south with a bleak expression. "As long as we defeat the Mo thief, not only Jiangnan, but even Lingnan can be taken back."

"Then do we need to arrange for the evacuation of Liangjiang Governor Gao Jin and the garrisoned bannermen in Jiangning and Hangzhou?" Fu Kang'an continued to ask.

Qianlong took a deep breath and said, "We can't retreat. If they do, the situation in Jiangnan will immediately collapse. Let them hold on!"

Upon hearing this, Fukang'an took a deep breath and remained silent for a long time. This was a threat to the lives of these bannermen!

The eight garrisoned banners at this time were not simply stationed in the corresponding cities.

For example, the Eight Banners stationed in Hangzhou will be stationed in Zhapu Town, Jiaxing in addition to Hangzhou, and the Eight Banners stationed in Jiangning will be stationed in Jiangxi and Anhui respectively.

Therefore, once they move, everyone will know that the Qing Dynasty is going to flee, and the people of Jiangnan will indeed be demoralized.

However, Fu Kang'an hesitated to speak. The Eight Banners in Jiangning had 4,000 soldiers and a total population of 35,000. The Eight Banners in Hangzhou had 4,000 soldiers and a total population of 31,000.

That’s 60,000 to 70,000 people!

Although they were not very good at fighting, for the Bannermen, whose total population was only a few hundred thousand, losing them would be an unbearable loss.

Qianlong knew what Fu Kang'an was going to say, and a look of pity appeared on his face, but it was soon replaced by indifference.

“When the Ming Dynasty fell, even in Jiangnan, a region known for its gentleness and weakness, countless people died for their country.

"The Qing Dynasty is in danger now. It doesn't matter if a few bannermen die for their country. Only if they die for their country can others be alerted and stop thinking about compromising with the Mo thief."

Well, there were also people in the Qing Dynasty who had the illusion of compromising with Mo Zibu. Some of them were used to a life of wealth and luxury, and would always have some unrealistic fantasies because of the difficulties they faced.

"Moreover." Qianlong waved his hand to drive the attendants away and whispered to Fu Kang'an:

"Yao Lin'er, you have to understand that according to the theory of righteousness, loyalty and treachery of the Mo thieves, we bannermen have never been a nation, but a gang of thieves united by interests.

This is a very correct understanding!
Since it is a gang of thieves united by interests, they must rely on force to decide, and the capable ones will be promoted and the incapable ones will be demoted.

Therefore, the Bannermen will never be killed off. As long as you have enough benefits to distribute, after killing a group of people, there will be other people willing to become Bannermen.

Yao Lin'er, I don't think I can hold on for much longer. The princes are too weak to accomplish anything. In the future, I will have to rely on you to become Prince Rui and Oboi.

So remember, the foundation of our Qing Dynasty is not the bannermen, but interests. To maintain interests, we must have the ability to win battles.

As long as you can lead them to victory and reap the rewards, you can have as many bannermen as you want!"

(End of this chapter)