The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 396 Entering Hangzhou Who Says There Are No Heroes in Jiangnan (Part )
Hangzhou, near Qingtai Gate in the east of the city, there is the Shengtai Money House compound.

Chen Qiuze strode in, followed by a yamen runner who was sweating and very nervous.

This money house appears to be a normal financial institution in which Yangzhou salt merchants have a stake, but in fact it is Dayu's intelligence center in the entire Zhejiang Province.

"Mr. Xinghuo, the situation is extremely urgent. That thief Erdemeng'e is about to take action!
The Manchus are gathering forces in the city. They've spread the word that if the Manchus are dead, the Han people won't have a good life either. They're going to kill all the Han people in Hangzhou."

Lin Qiaoyin smiled faintly, "The Eastern Tartars are brutal and cruel, and this has been their style since the day I started my career.

The current Hangzhou general Erdemeng'enai is a descendant of Hauge, and has the blood of the old slave flowing in his body. I am not surprised that they chose to do this."

Chen Qiuze nodded in agreement. "Deputy Garrison Commander Fan Jianzhong is the descendant of the great traitor Fan Wencheng. His entire family is on the Emperor's list of those who must be killed, so naturally he would be so crazy."

Lin Qiaoyin handed Chen Qiuze a newly arrived battle report. "Look, His Majesty personally wrote the manifesto for the Northern Expedition against the Manchus. The army set out from Chengtian Guangzhou Prefecture on February 22nd. I believe Fuzhou has been recovered by now."

"Excellent!" Chen Qiuze took the battle report and read it carefully. "It's truly a brilliant article. Very inspiring!"

Eight months ago, Chen Qiuze went south with Qian Dazhao, Zhang Fu and others. Qian and Zhang chose to serve as Hanlin scholars beside the emperor.

Only Chen Qiuze, who was quite chivalrous, chose to join the Jinyiwei. After three months of intensive training, he was sent back to Hangzhou to assist Lin Qiaoyin in intelligence work.

"The Han dynasty is about to be restored, but the burden on you and me is growing heavier.

We cannot allow Erdemon'e and his people to massacre people in the city. Tragedies like those in Yangzhou and Jiading will never happen again!"

As he spoke, Lin Qiaoyin seemed to have made up his mind, "Although we have persuaded the Green Camp soldiers in Quzhou Town to rebel, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. To prevent the Tartars from massacring the city, we can only rely on the navy's large ships.

But according to the timetable, even if Major General Zhou Yuanquan traveled day and night, it would still take at least eight to ten days to reach Hangzhou, given the headwind.”

Chen Qiuze nodded heavily and continued, "Yes, the Zhang family in Yin County recruited some soldiers, but they were only enough to cooperate with the hundreds of naval officers in Zhoushan to capture Ningbo Prefecture, and they were unable to support Hangzhou.

In the Green Camp within Hangzhou, the central army of the Fu Biao was controlled by Li Zhipu, the younger brother of Li Zhiying, the governor. Both of them were members of the Chen Han army and could not be instigated to rebel.

After saying this, the worried Chen Qiuze gritted his teeth and said, "Mr. Xinghuo, I would like to ask for your permission to persuade Zhejiang Governor Chen Jie to rebel."

"Chen Jie!" Lin Qiaoyin said in a low voice, "He is a member of the Han army's Zhengbai Banner. How confident are you?"

Chen Qiuze nodded, "I know this man is from the Plain White Banner of the Han Army, but he is not from the Chen Han Army, but the descendant of a general under the command of Koxinga.

His ancestral home is Quanzhou, and his ancestors were acquainted with your maternal grandfather, Xu Zhongzhen Wang. Now that the Han Dynasty is flourishing, it may not be impossible for him to instigate a rebellion."

Lin Qiaoyin considered it for two minutes and immediately agreed, "If Chen Jie is willing to turn against the enemy, he can save hundreds of thousands of people in Hangzhou. I believe Your Majesty will be willing to forgive him. I agree with your plan.

But I can only give you half a day. Whether it succeeds or not, we will take action tomorrow morning."

Chen Qiuze looked at Lin Qiaoyin in shock. "We only have three or four hundred people in Hangzhou, and only a few dozen muskets. What can we do?"

Lin Qiaoyin's face was full of determination. He took a breath before saying, "I know it's of no use, but how can I sit idly by and watch the people of Hangzhou being slaughtered by the Tartars?

Tomorrow morning, I will raise a big flag on the top of Beigao Peak and reveal my identity.

I believe the Banner Army in the city deeply hates me and will definitely attack. If we can delay the situation for a day or two, we can save a few lives among the people of Hangzhou."

Chen Qiuze knew that Lin Qiaoyin was determined to die. He changed his position and thought about it. If he were Lin Qiaoyin, he would never abandon the people of Hangzhou and escape at this time.

Without wasting any words, Chen Qiuze bowed deeply to Lin Qiaoyin and hurried out to persuade Zhejiang Governor Chen Jie to rebel.

Lin Qiaoyin watched Chen Qiuze go out, without having much hope for his actions.

The Governor of Zhejiang held a high position of power, and Chen was treated favorably by the Qing Dynasty as a surrendered person. This man had been a soldier all his life, and it was not easy to persuade him.

He looked at the two guards beside him, the Wen brothers who were born into the Taizhou pirate family, and said, "This time, we are going to be in danger of death. One of you can go. There must be someone left to see my mother to the end."

Wen Da chuckled, "If a noble person like Mr. Lin is not afraid, what should we be afraid of?

My mother is living in Guangzhou with the royal salary of the Saint, enjoying an endless supply of delicious food and drinks. My two sons are attending the Imperial Primary School, so my brother and I have no worries anymore."

Wen Er was not good at speaking, but he was even more stubborn. He shook his head and said in a muffled voice:

"My brother and I were nearly killed by the Tartar navy. It was the Dayu navy that saved our lives. From that day on, our lives belong to His Majesty. If His Majesty wants my brother and me to guard Mr. Lin, we will not leave even if we are beaten to death."

Lin Qiaoyin also knew the tempers of these two people and knew that he could not persuade them, so he smiled and said, "Then let's take a gamble. If they survive, it will be a good story in the future."

. . . .

Hangzhou Mancheng is located in the western part of Hangzhou, roughly ranging from Qiantang Gate to Yongjin Gate, with its back against West Lake.

Originally, there were only 2,200 soldiers in the city of Hangzhou, because the banner army under the Hangzhou general was divided into two parts, one in Hangzhou city and the other in Zhapu Town, Jiaxing.

However, with the rise of Mo Zibu, the Hangzhou general, under the order of Emperor Qianlong, withdrew the 2,039 bannermen of Zhapu Town to Hangzhou City.

Therefore, there were a little over 4,000 bannermen in Hangzhou City, and by drawing some able-bodied men from the more than 30,000 bannermen, they could barely gather about 10,000 men.

However, in recent years, Qianlong used most of his financial resources to build the Eight Banners stationed in Beijing and the Eight Banners outside the Great Wall.

The Eight Banners of Hangzhou were located in an absolutely safe area in the eyes of Emperor Qianlong, so the resources they received were even fewer than those during the reigns of Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Yongzheng, and the generals were lazy and the soldiers were idle.

Erdemon gathered 10,000 people, but only had more than a thousand old muskets.

There were more than 2,000 bows, but most of the Eight Banners soldiers in Hangzhou could not pull these hard bows used by their ancestors.

As for other swords and guns, they were also in great shortage, especially long spears. Many of them in the warehouse had completely rotted away even with the gun barrels, leaving only some rusty gun heads.

Therefore, Erdemon'e had to go to the governor of Zhejiang and transfer some of the governor's weapons to him, and only then did he barely ensure that every soldier had an iron weapon.

Aisin-Gioro Erdemon'e is a descendant of Huang Taiji's eldest son Haoge. He was born in the 1717th year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi () and is now years old.

This old man had white hair and beard, and his face was covered with age spots. Historically, he should have died of illness while serving as a general in Hangzhou in August this year, so he looked quite bad with only a few months left to live.

Fan Jianzhong, the second-in-command of the Eight Banners stationed in Hangzhou, sounds like a military general, but he is actually a scholar and is in his early fifties.

The two old men took a look at the bannermen, young and old, who were saying auspicious words to each other in the parade ground while picking up meat with chopsticks, and sighed in unison.

The Eight Banners of Hangzhou were stationed in a wealthy city like Hangzhou, but they were trapped inside the city and unable to leave. Furthermore, Emperor Qianlong gave most of the money to the Eight Banners stationed in Beijing, which meant that they could not benefit much. So many people lived off the land, relying on the meager salary to barely survive, and their lives were even worse than those of the Han people outside the city.

Therefore, the Hangzhou bannermen only knew two things to do when they were born: either try their best to curry favor with their superiors in order to be transferred to Zhapu Town, because the management there was less strict and they could do some side jobs to supplement their family income.

Or they would find ways to leave the city by digging holes in the sky, including but not limited to climbing over walls and digging holes. After leaving, these bannermen would often change their names and do odd jobs in shops run by Han people.

Because the education level of the banner people is generally better than that of the Han people, and they are supported by the country, most of them can read and write, and they can pass the time by learning a few words and reading books when they have nothing to do.

Therefore, most of them can write and calculate, and they can find good jobs even if they do odd jobs outside.

Historically, the Eight Banners stationed in Hangzhou remained in decline until the Taiping Rebellion. By that time, the Taiping Army had already captured Nanjing, and Emperor Xianfeng desperately added more men and money to the Eight Banners in Hangzhou, and sent generals to take charge, only then did they restore some of their combat effectiveness.

"Master, I think it's not very realistic to expect these people to kill Han people. There are hundreds of thousands of Han people in Hangzhou. Once the news leaks out, it's hard to say who will kill whom."

Fan Jianzhong really felt that it was unreliable, so he walked over and said to the dying Erdemon'e.

Erdemenge didn't care. After all, he was a descendant of Hauge, one of the most powerful generals of the Manchus. "Don't be afraid. As long as the news doesn't leak out, I'll kill them once they see blood."

The four words "the news must not be leaked" were mentioned in the conversation between the two people.

Because times are different now than they were in the past. In the past, if the Manchu Banner Army wanted to go out and kill Han people, anyone who dared to resist would have to do it themselves.

If a man with only one penny dares to resist the Eight Banners Lady, he is rebelling against you.

But now, the eight banner ladies were afraid, because the Han people had their own emperor and someone to rely on. Even in a city like Hangzhou, which was always considered to have weak folk customs, the Han people seemed to be daring to resist.

Fan Jianzhong was indeed the descendant of a great traitor, and he was even more worthy of the two words "Jianzhong" in his name. He was a complete bastard. After thinking for a while, he actually suggested to Erdemeng'e:
"Master, since you dare to kill only after seeing blood, why don't we have the governor capture a group of Han people and bring them in? It doesn't need to be too many, just a few dozen or a hundred will do. Let the soldiers see blood inside the city first, and then we can kill people directly after we leave the city."

When Erdemeng heard this, his face full of age spots showed excitement, "This is a good idea. Let's see the blood first, so that we don't have to worry about what to do when we go out.

"Let's kill a hundred thousand of these one-cent thieves in Hangzhou, select our best soldiers, and take the baggage to Tianmu Mountain. When the imperial army defeats the Mo thieves, we can then fight our way back to Hangzhou."

Seeing that Erdemeng'e agreed to his proposal, Fan Jianzhong quickly asked his clansman Fan Debao to take Erdemeng'e's order to find Zhejiang Governor Li Zhiying.

After leaving the Pinghai Gate of Mancheng, Fan Debao looked back at Mancheng in the dim light. He was extremely conflicted, and his palms holding the lantern were full of cold sweat.

"Daddy, Daddy, can you take me to ride a big horse?"

"Daddy, Daddy, I won first place in reciting the Thousand Character Classic today. I will definitely become a high-ranking official in the future and let you enjoy a good life."

"Daddy, Daddy, Mommy made sweet and sour fish. I left a big piece for you. Come and have some."

The tender child's voice, along with the cold wind from Hangzhou City, suddenly poured into Fan Debao's ears.

He is 47 years old this year. After having four daughters, he finally had a son to carry on the family line five years ago.

His son was different from the moment he was born. He could hold a brush and write at the age of three, and could recite the entire Thousand Character Classic at the age of five.

Everyone who knew Fan Debao said that he would enjoy the blessing of his son in the future, and would definitely be able to rely on his son to leave the city and live a good life outside.

"No, I can't die. My son is the God of Literature. He can't die even if someone else dies!" Fan Debao kept muttering to himself.

He was born into the bondservant family of Fan Jianzhong and was good at currying favor with people, so he was one of the few people in the city who could go out frequently.

Therefore, he knew better than the average Manchu what the outside world was like, and he knew better that Erdemon'e and Fan Jianzhong were messing around.

Given the current situation, if they killed tens of thousands of Han people in Hangzhou City, would the Han emperor still let them leave?

It's simply a dream. Emperor Guangzhong, who was able to defeat the Jianrui Battalion in Beihe, will definitely mobilize the troops and hunt down the Hangzhou Bannermen at all costs.

Even if Emperor Guangzhong did not send troops to hunt them down, how could his nearly seventy-year-old mother and five-year-old son be pushed safely to Tianmu Mountain?

No, I must protect my family.

Fan Debao had an idea. He had actually come into contact with people from the Jinyiwei of Dayu. Someone once wanted to buy information about the Eight Banners stationed in Hangzhou from him for fifty taels of silver, but Fan Debao was too timid to earn the money.

But now, who cares so much.

. . . .

The Zhejiang Land Commander position was not established for long and was sometimes abolished and sometimes established.

It was not until the 1679th year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi () that the Qing court abolished the post of Zhejiang Naval Commander-in-Chief and replaced it with the Land Commander-in-Chief to take charge of naval affairs. Only then was the Zhejiang Land Commander-in-Chief changed to the Admiral and became a permanent position.

However, due to the need to manage the navy, the station of the Zhejiang Governor was changed many times. He was stationed in Hangzhou and Ningbo, depending entirely on the needs.

Zhejiang Governor Chen Jie just turned 1683 this year. His ancestors were indeed generals of the Zheng family, but they did not defect to the Qing Dynasty very early. Instead, they surrendered to the Qing Dynasty along with Zheng Keshuang in the nd year of Emperor Kangxi's reign ().

Historically, after Zheng Keshuang surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, most of his subordinates were resettled nearby, but Chen Jie's ancestors were specifically asked to move to Zhili.

Because his fifth-generation ancestor was none other than Chen Yonghua's eldest son Chen Mengwei, Kangxi acted as if he was particularly respectful to Chen Yonghua and specially assigned Chen Mengwei to the Han Army Zhengbai Banner.

However, Chen Jie's position as the governor of Zhejiang was not due to his ancestors, but to his military achievements.

He was a military scholar and started as a garrison commander at Shucun Station in the Old Summer Palace. He participated in the battle to pacify the Dzungar Khanate and served as the governor of Urumqi.

He was promoted step by step from guerrilla, lieutenant general, deputy general, and general to the current governor of Zhejiang, and was also given the title of deputy commander-in-chief of the Han Army's Zhengbai Banner.

"Master, there are people outside the door who want to see you. They say they are your fellow townsmen and relatives from Quanzhou." Chen Jie's relative Goshaha came quietly to report.

Chen Jie couldn't help but take a deep breath. Although his expression was still calm, the veins on his left hand, which was pressing on the armchair, were bulging.

He knew very well who this family member and fellow villager was.

"How dare you come to my house." Chen Jie suddenly stood up and walked back and forth in the study room, unable to hold back. He was torn between his conscience and his desires.

It took him a while to calm down.

"Let him in. I'll see what else he has to say this time!"

(End of this chapter)