There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 153 Chaos arises
Qianqing Palace.

All the civil and military officials, both Manchu and Han, knelt on the ground, not daring to speak a word.

Today is the 26th day of the first lunar month. Just like the Little New Year in the twelfth lunar month, people in the north and south celebrate it separately. People in the north celebrate the Tiancang Festival to pray for a good harvest, while people in the south celebrate the Guanyin Opening the Treasury to bring wealth and blessings.

However, today, the people in the north and south were celebrating their own festivals happily, but the Qing emperor and his ministers in the imperial capital were in a bit of trouble.

The White Lotus sect in Huguang was becoming increasingly rampant. Leaving Hubei aside, the White Lotus bandits and government troops were locked in a stalemate in Xiangyang. Within Hunan, a White Lotus rebel faction, operating under the banner of the Han Army, was even more formidable. According to the battle report jointly sent to the capital by Eldengbao and Mingliang, the entire province had already largely fallen.

Eldengbao and Mingliang failed to distinguish between the rebel forces that had changed their flags and the territories actually controlled by the Han army. Even the prefectures of Chenzhou, Yuanzhou, Yongshun, and Jingzhou that had not yet fallen became prey to the Han army in the words of these two defeated generals.

If they don't exaggerate the Han army and tie it to the White Lotus Sect, then the responsibility will be huge for both of them!
Although the crime was still serious, the entire Hunan province fell, and a governor and an admiral died, both of whom were high-ranking officials of the second rank. In addition, a general of Jingzhou also died, and he was an Eight Banners general with the surname Aisin Gioro.

Is this still available?

"Snapped!"

Qianlong threw the unfinished war report in his hand to the ground.

Heshen knelt at the front, quickly bowed his head and shouted, "Your Majesty, please calm down!"

"Your Majesty, calm down!"

All the officials stood up and cheered.

"Calm down, calm down. How can I calm down?"

Qianlong, however, grew increasingly enraged. He berated, "Ele Dengbao and Mingliang have both sent me letters of apology. The White Lotus Rebellion has spread to Sichuan and Huguang. All of Hunan has fallen, and even the Miao people in western Hunan have revived. Over a hundred thousand troops from seven provinces were completely defeated by the White Lotus bandits in Hunan. Without these hundred thousand troops, the Zhong Miao (Buyi) people of Guizhou have surrendered and rebelled again."

"You want me to calm down, and if I do, I'll be able to quell this White Lotus Rebellion, and make the Zhong Miao people in Xiangxi and Guizhou obey me?"

All the civil and military officials in the court bowed their heads again, and no one dared to move, for fear of offending Emperor Qianlong.

Jiaqing frowned and wanted to speak, but he quickly remembered the advice in his teacher Zhu Gui's reply letter: plan before taking action, and be patient and not speak out, only then will there be a chance.

After experiencing the "one-year itch", Jiaqing had obviously matured a lot. He knew that he could no longer act rashly and had to learn to be patient. Last year, when he first ascended the throne, he thought about taking power, so he tried to transfer his teacher Zhu Gui back to help him. However, he was falsely accused of "forming a clique for personal gain" by Heshen. Not only did his teacher not return, but he was also demoted to the position of governor of Anhui.

Haha, the king of a country was falsely accused of "forming a clique for personal gain" by his ministers. This would be a joke no matter which dynasty it happened in.

It's both a joke and sad.

Jiaqing didn't dare to speak, and neither did the civil and military officials in the court, but in the end someone had to speak.

Heshen, who had been promoted to Grand Minister of the Imperial Guards of the Plain Yellow Banner and Commander-in-Chief of the Bordered Yellow Banner Manchuria last year because of Fu Kang'an's death in battle, raised his head slightly and stared at the palace floor tiles. "Hunan has fallen, and the army of over 100,000 men from seven provinces has been completely defeated. This is all because Eldengbao acted on his own initiative and divided the troops. This left Xiangxi with a vacant force, giving Zhong Miao an opportunity to exploit, while the front line was short of troops to fight against the White Lotus bandits. This led to the defeat on both fronts. Eldengbao should be recalled to the capital immediately to await his fate!"

He was directly held accountable right away because Heshen had followed Emperor Qianlong for decades and understood his temper better than his son Jiaqing.

Qianlong was very concerned about his reputation and was particularly headstrong and self-righteous. To maintain his reputation, he would even arbitrarily execute ministers who were implicated. This was evident in the 33rd year of Qianlong's reign. In that year, Heshen had not yet taken the imperial examination, but he had already married Feng Jiwen, the granddaughter of Grand Secretary Yinglian (Han Eight Banners), so he had a certain understanding of the situation in the court.

The "Soul-Calling Case" that broke out in the twelve southern provinces that year was really absurd, but the political meaning hidden behind it... there was no political meaning at all, it was all fucking absurd.

Because the root of everything was two beggar monks who made some random boasting and nonsense. When the matter reached the local county magistrate, he discovered something was wrong. In order to prevent such trivial matters from bothering the higher-ups and to demonstrate his own fairness and integrity, the matter was suppressed and the monks were acquitted.

As a result, Qianlong could no longer hold it in. After learning the news through other channels, he immediately felt that the "Soul-Calling Case" was not simple.

It's very simple. The "Soul-Calling Case" involves braids. So, isn't it just some rumor spread by fools, but someone is plotting against the Qing Dynasty behind the scenes?
Why did the local officials not report it even though they knew about it? Could it be that they were involved with anti-Qing forces?
This speculation turned an ordinary fool into a shocking case, which implicated a wide range of people. Officials were imprisoned and punished one after another, and the whole place was almost uprooted.

after that……

After that, it was all just nonsense. It would be strange if there was anything to be found out.

It was not until the local bureaucratic system was uprooted, several provinces were almost paralyzed, public resentment was boiling, and officials were trembling that Qianlong realized something was wrong.

But he did not stop. Instead, he ordered that those who were convicted and imprisoned should be dealt with quickly, and those who deserved to be beheaded should be beheaded. As for the local authorities, they should also close the case as soon as possible and arrest the anti-Qing elements behind the scenes.

Qianlong’s face!

The world is vast, and His Majesty's face is the most important. So what if he was wrong? It's not wrong if he doesn't admit it. The unjust killing of a few ministers and the suffering of the people in a few provinces are just enough. Compared with His Majesty's face, what does it matter?
"If Erdeng is brought back, who else can continue to lead the troops to suppress the bandits?" Qianlong asked with a frown on his face, suppressing his anger.

Heshen fell silent. The head military minister, Agui, stepped forward and said, "Bai Tang'a (Manchu for a special position) E Hui can be appointed Governor-General of Huguang. The White Lotus Religion in Huguang is now very powerful and difficult to control. The armies of seven provinces were defeated in Chenzhou because Huguang lacked a governor to provide unified control. Therefore, E Hui can be appointed Governor-General of Huguang. Mingliang and Eldengbao witnessed the battle in Chenzhou firsthand and should be familiar with the rebels. They can be transferred to the positions of Admiral of Huguang. Hubei Governor Hui Ling and Huguang Admiral Mingliang will both be under the control of Governor E Hui and work together to eliminate the White Lotus bandits in Huguang."

There was nothing wrong with this appointment. E Hui was originally a Baitang'a, and his official rank was more than enough. He was born in the Plain White Banner, a high-ranking banner, and was one of the Eight Banners of Manchuria. He had fought in major battles with Agui and Fukang'an, and his battlefield experience was richer than that of Eldengbao.

There is really nothing wrong with letting him take up the position of Governor of Huguang, which has been vacant for a long time.

Mingliang was almost the same as the governor of Huguang. No one was more qualified than him in terms of qualifications. If E Hui was sent to Huguang as the governor, he would need a veteran to help him get familiar with the situation. Eldengbao had already taken the blame for the defeat in Chenzhou, so Mingliang was the perfect candidate to take charge of Huguang's military affairs and cooperate with the governor in leading the army to suppress the bandits.

Qianlong pondered for a moment and said, "Then immediately escort Eldengbao back to Beijing to await his fate. Transfer Baitang A'ehui to be the Governor-General of Huguang, and Mingliang to be the Admiral of Huguang. They will serve in vain and work together to suppress the White Lotus bandits in Huguang."

For Qianlong, although the current situation in Huguang is serious, it is not yet irreversible. It is enough to let the Governor of Shaanxi and Gansu go south to Sichuan to suppress the bandits, and then appoint two veteran generals as the Governor of Huguang and the Admiral of Huguang to jointly eliminate the rebels in Huguang.

Let’s not talk about Mingliang for now. This guy is a veteran who is even more experienced than Fukangan. He didn’t achieve any success in the past because he couldn’t make a good meal without rice.

Judging from their qualifications alone, E Hui and Mingliang are on par with each other, and their military achievements are not much different from Mingliang. He has followed Agui and Fukang'an, so Agui recommended him to be the governor. This guy's personal bravery is indeed beyond reproach (another Baturu).

Letting these two people be the governor and admiral of Huguang... is still useless, because Huguang has no soldiers left. All that is left of Huguang is Hubei, and it is not a complete Hubei. Half of Hubei is in trouble with the White Lotus rebels, and there is also Jingzhou Prefecture controlled by the Han army.

The important matter was finalized. Qianlong thought for a moment and asked again, "What should we do about the rebellion of Zhong Miao in Guizhou?"

(End of this chapter)