The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 401 The tree fell and the hozens scattered
When it comes to things in this world, the first fear is lack of experience, and the second fear is not reading, or reading books but not learning lessons from them.

General Hao Chun of Jiangning is just such a person. Don’t be fooled by the fact that he has been skilled in archery and horse riding since he was a child, can kill people with a knife, and can even throw stone locks weighing thirty or fifty kilograms for fun.

But he really doesn't have much experience.

In other words, the Qing Dynasty had a lot of experience in defending huge cities like Nanjing.

Can the elite Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty fight at this time? Of course they can!
But they only had a small group of elite troops, and were familiar with the experience of fighting between two sides with a total of 50,000 to 60,000 people at most. Not only did they lack the ability to fight in large groups, they also lacked the experience of defending a strong city.

Hao Chun basically didn't read books. The peak of his literacy was that he hadn't finished reading the Thousand Character Classic. Then, with the help of his teacher, he was able to basically finish reading the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

So he had no idea that most giant cities like Nanjing were not conquered by force.

Nanjing is even more powerful. Up to the time period of this space-time, it has never been captured once. All of them were forced to surrender. As long as the enemy has eliminated most of Nanjing's defensive forces outside the city, it will surrender.

This is because in such a huge city, with a population of 700,000 to 800,000, everyone has their own ideas, demands, and ways of doing things.

You want to defend, he wants to shoot, this one wants to retreat upstream/downstream, and the other one has a way to make a contribution anyway.

You had just united the officers, but someone below bribed the soldiers, and as soon as the officers arrived at the barracks, they were forced to go in the opposite direction.

There are many examples of officers being tied up by all kinds of complicated relationships and benefits as soon as they leave the meeting room, and turning around and defecting.

What's more serious is that the enemy has reached Nanjing, which means that even if the situation is not hopeless, it is not your only option. In this situation, people's morale will collapse quickly.

Therefore, let alone Nanjing, which is difficult to defend due to its extensive waterways, even Russia, which is facing the coming winter, would not dare to release the enemy to Moscow and St. Petersburg!

If the enemy really gets here, even the gray beast will be mentally collapsed.

However, the only consolation for Qianlong was that Hao Chun was not a complete idiot, or rather, he was a complete idiot, but Cheng De was not.

Although this guy has no experience in large-scale military operations, he knows numbers!
After hearing the news from Songjiang and vaguely knowing that Lan Yuanmei, the general of Susong Town, had defected, Cheng De thought about it carefully and felt that something was wrong!

The circumference of Nanjing's city wall is more than seventy miles, and they now only have 10,000 Eight Banner soldiers, which means there is only one soldier for every four or five meters of city wall.

Even if all the able-bodied men of the Banner were brought out, there would only be a dozen or so men on a four or five meter long wall, at most.

How can we fight this? We can only barely fill up the city wall. As long as there are a few more enemies, we can easily break through.

So Cheng De immediately went to discuss with Hao Chun, but tragically, Cheng De made an even bigger mistake.

Cheng De suggested to Hao Chun that since Nanjing City was impossible to defend, it would be better not to defend the outer city but only the inner city, that is, the entire city.

"The Mo rebels have suddenly risen up, and their base is still in Southeast Asia. The troops heading north are no more than 30,000 to 50,000, and they have to divide their forces to seize Fujian and Zhejiang provinces and the seven prefectures in the lower Yangtze River. The number of combat troops that can be used in Jiangning is no more than 20,000 to 30,000.

It would be better for us to abandon the outer city and only defend the entire city, so that the enemy can divide his troops into different places and wait until his attack fails and his troops are exhausted.

The Shangjiang Green Camp and Mu Zhitai of Yangzhou City sent a large army to attack from both sides. The traitor Mo is just another Zheng traitor!

Hao Chun stroked his beard as he pondered, his expression uncertain. "If that's the case, we must first disperse all the people in Jiangning City. Otherwise, the thieves will use military law to restrain them and order the militia to attack the city at all costs. They'll tire us to death."

Cheng De nodded. Neither of them thought of doing the same foolish thing as Shi Qi and Erdemenge, wanting to kill all the people in the city, because that was too unrealistic.

In a big city like Nanjing, there are tens of thousands of strong laborers in various industries. Not only will you kill all of them, but you will also annoy them. When the thief Mo comes, they will fight to the death for you, and that will be a lot of fun.

Since they couldn't kill him, they could only drive him away. Cheng De thought for a moment and suddenly suggested, "Commander-in-Chief Yu Junmen is from Tianjin, his family is in the north, and the court treats him well, so he should be trustworthy.

It would be better to let General Yu lead his troops back to Nanjing. He has 8,000 elite soldiers, and if he joins me in defending the city, we will have a better chance of success."

Hao Chun thought for a moment, then clenched his right fist and smashed it against his left palm. "Alright! But this alone won't do. The Emperor is raising the flag again. Why don't we submit a petition guaranteeing that Yu Jinao's entire family will raise the flag? That way, it will be more secure."

These two idiots think that raising the flag is a promising future, a road to heaven that most people can't even ask for.

"Okay, we won't let Yu Jinao enter Mancheng. Let him guard the Stone City in Qingliang Mountain. He can receive supplies and reinforcements if they come from the river.

In this way, my Eight Banners soldiers will defend Mancheng, the Jiangnan Green Camp will guard Shitoucheng, and the Governor's and Governor's Flags of Liangjiang will guard Lion Mountain.

"Each of the three places has its own natural defenses and they all support each other. I don't think he can defeat the 20,000 or 30,000 soldiers of the Mo bandit." Cheng De immediately added.

This can no longer be described as bad luck. It should be said that when you are at the end of your rope, whatever you choose will be wrong.

. . . .

In the Qing army camp in Changzhou, although Yu Jinao chose to join Mo Zibu, he alone could not have the final say over these thousands of elite soldiers.

After returning the next day, Yu Jinao gathered all the deputy generals, lieutenant generals and guerrillas, and killed more than 60 generals and their personal soldiers in one go, and only then did he get the job done.

Just when he, Chen Guangzu, Wang Wuchu and Zhao Yi were racking their brains for a way to quickly pass through the 300 miles, especially the most critical Zhenjiang, the transfer order from Jiangning General Hao Chun arrived.

Yu Jin'ao tricked the messenger into the military camp, chopped off his head with one blow, and then laughed out loud towards the sky.

"May Heaven bless our Han family and Dayu. Generals, one of you can stay here to lead the army. The rest of you can come with me, select a thousand elite soldiers, and march towards Nanjing City overnight!"

At this time, Mo Zibu captured Jiangyin again. The messenger arrived in an urgent manner. The vanguard general, Wang Wubing, the captain of the Longmen Regiment, led 3,000 people of the Longmen Regiment and arrived 20 miles east of Changzhou City.

Chen Guangzu was overjoyed, "Once your brother arrives, we can both go to Nanjing."

On the surface, it seemed that neither of them needed to leave any one behind, but in reality, Chen Guangzu and Wang Wuchu only brought 200 people with them. They still didn't quite trust Yu Jinao and felt that the risk was a bit too high.

Once Wang Wubing arrives, at least 300 good men can be selected from the Longmen Group. With a 500-500 situation, the situation will be much more reassuring.

In Nanjing City, Jiangsu Governor Yang Kui looked uneasy because his retainers in Suzhou had not sent him any news for ten days.

As for why he paid attention to Suzhou, it was because the powers of the Governor-General of Liangjiang and the Governor of Jiangnan in the Qing court were very vague. After more than a hundred years of political games, a strange situation had formed.

The Governor-General of Liangjiang, who sounded awe-inspiring, was said to have jurisdiction over Jiangnan, Anhui, and Jiangxi provinces. However, in reality, he could only manage Zhenjiang and Changzhou, which were below Nanjing, and even had limited control over Yangzhou Prefecture. Most of the time, his government orders revolved around Nanjing, earning him the nickname "Governor of Half Province."

The governor of Jiangsu did not stay in Nanjing but went to Suzhou, where he set up his governor's office. He basically only had control over Suzhou and Songjiang prefectures.

As for the prefectures of Yangzhou, Huai'an, Xuzhou and others north of the Yangtze River in Jiangnan Province, they actually basically only obeyed the orders of the Governor of the Grain Transport Administration.

Well, this system that has existed since the Ming Dynasty is the root of Jiangsu bulk trading in later generations.

They did not start to disperse only during the Republic. As early as the Ming Dynasty, they had been playing their own games. The highest official in Jiangsu ordered that they could only revolve around the city of Nanjing.

Even in later generations, Nanjing had a huge influence on Wumachu, and its actual power could be said to have increased.

This time, Yang Kui knew that Suzhou was too close to Songjiang, and the most intense resistance had taken place in this area, so he didn't dare to stay in Suzhou at all.

He used the excuse of transferring the Third Battalion of the Fu Biao to Nanjing to assist in defending the city, and he followed along, and then refused to leave even if he was beaten to death.

Of course, Yang Kui did not completely ignore it. He left a few trusted confidants in Suzhou to keep him informed at any time.

Now that he hadn't received any news for ten days, he was naturally very anxious and felt that something must have happened.

As for why he did not choose to surrender, it was because Yang Kui was from the Plain Yellow Banner of the Han Army. At this time, the Han army that had not yet left the banner were basically old traitors from Liaodong.

He was born in the Plain Yellow Banner of the upper three banners, and his ancestors were the worst traitors. He would have no chance of survival under the Emperor Mo.

Anxious, an old family member ran in quickly, and burst into tears as soon as he saw Yang Kui.

"Master, I've heard the news. The Mo thieves have already seized Suzhou. The Suzhou prefect, Wu Tai, was dragged to the Xintang Bridge in Tiger Hill by the rioters and torn into pieces by five horses!"

When Yang Kui heard about the five horses dismembering a person, his whole body trembled and he even felt phantom pain in his limbs.

"Jiangning is not safe anymore. The thief Mo's army will be here soon. We have to leave, we have to leave!"

Yang Kui said twice that he had to go, and it was obvious that he was extremely anxious.

He was such a coward, so naturally his servants would be cowards too. No one thought about resisting the enemy, but only thought about how to save their own lives. For a moment, the master and servants immediately started thinking at full speed to find a solution.

In Yang Kui's opinion, the best way to save his life is to leave Nanjing, but he has his duties to do and the city of Nanjing is still fine, so he can't run away at all.

Otherwise, General Hao Chun of Jiangning, who had long disliked him, would definitely kill him. It was really hard to think of any solution at this moment.

In the end, it was Yang Kui who found a way to survive. He looked at his family and servants with great fear and said:
"My Yang family has committed grave sins and there is no way we can survive, because during the bloody battle of Hunhe River, our ancestors were soldiers from Shenyang who surrendered and were bribed by Prince Consort Li Yongfang.

Back then, the Shiqu Tusi's white-pole soldiers repeatedly defeated the Qing army's elite troops. Their formations were well-organized and indestructible. It was my ancestors who shaved their heads and fired cannons, blasting through the Sichuan army's formations and securing victory in the bloody Battle of Hunhe."

As he spoke, Yang Kui trembled all over, and tears seemed to be about to burst out of his wide eyes.

"If I were captured, I'd be torn into pieces like Wu Tai, but I wouldn't be able to get them. The same thing would happen to you."

After hearing what Yang Kui said, all the descendants of traitors in the room burst into tears. An old servant collapsed on the ground and looked at Yang Kui.

"Master, you have always been quite resourceful. You must come up with a solution now!"

"Do you really want to live?" Seeing that the time had come, Yang Kui suppressed his fear and looked at the servants in the house.

"We want to live, sir! We want to live!" The servants were also smart and immediately knew that Yang Kui had a solution. "We will do whatever you tell us to do, sir."

After Yang Kui saw that everyone had expressed their opinions, he said in a deep voice: "Jiangxi Governor Hao Zhitai is just like me. His ancestors were all artillerymen who surrendered after the fall of Shenyang. He has no chance of survival either.

You will escort me to Nanchang, and together with Hao Zhitai we will make a fortune in Nanchang, and then we can live in seclusion in the countryside with the money."

Yang Kui sneered, "Mo Guangzhong wants to kill all of us Bannermen, but he forgot that as long as the braids are cut, the Bannermen will be no different from the Han people. I was the magistrate of Quanzhou in my early years, and I am very fluent in Quanzhou dialect.

As long as you have money and make up an identity, you can definitely find a place to settle down.

If all else fails, we can go to Southeast Asia and hide in those foreign lands. When we speak Quanzhou dialect, no one will be able to tell the difference. "

In fact, Yang Kui is not a corrupt official. He has some abilities. Compared with other anthropomorphic bannermen, he can do something.

Therefore, he served as the governor of several provinces and extorted hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. Later, because of the Yizhulou Poetry Case, he was ordered by Emperor Qianlong to pay 50,000 taels of silver as a ransom, which was a clear robbery.

At present, apart from the money shipped back to his hometown in the capital, there are only about 10,000 to 20,000 taels of silver left. For ordinary people, this amount of money is definitely a huge fortune.

But for Yang Kui, it was still not enough, so his real idea was to go to Nanchang and embezzle the entire provincial treasury of Jiangxi Provincial Government with Hao Shuo, and then hide his identity.

"But sir, our flag has been requisitioned, and the gates of Jiangning are no longer in our control. It may not be easy to leave the city!"

Yang Kui had completely calmed down by now, "Go out and spread the news that the Mo bandit army has captured Songjiang and Suzhou.

No! Just say that Changzhou Prefecture has also been captured, and the thief's army is everywhere. Massacres have occurred in Fuzhou and Hangzhou. Everyone who has served the court, regardless of whether they are officials, merchants or gentry, has been killed by the thief's army!

The old servant's eyes lit up immediately, "That's great, let's spread the news everywhere, and the hundreds of thousands of people in the city will immediately lose their morale.

By then, everyone will be rushing out, and no one will be able to control us. We can then easily leave the city and go to Jiangxi without anyone noticing."

Yang Kui nodded and said, "You guys go in groups. Some of you will spread the news, and some of you will prepare the vehicles and boats. We will be the first group to leave the city, so leave early."

The servants went out excitedly. Yang Kui looked towards the north and was stunned for a long while.

"Your Majesty, please don't blame me, this old minister. The Qing dynasty is sinking, so let's just take care of our own business."

"With the third and fourth brothers at home, there shouldn't be any big problems. I'll find a way to find you when the world is stable." The descendant of a traitor comforted himself with a few words and no longer cared about his family.

(End of this chapter)