There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 26 The Qing Army Finally Arrives
Jingzhou Prefecture.

Since the end of last year, when Miao King Shi Sanbao rebelled against the Qing Dynasty, this place has become an important frontier town connecting the two lakes in terms of money, grain and military supplies.

Hubei Governor Hui Ling even went to the Jingzhou prefectural government office in person to supervise the preparation and transportation of military supplies, while Huguang Governor Bi Yuan moved to Changde Prefecture in Hunan to command the Qing troops in the two lakes to suppress the seeds of rebellion.

"You said the White Lotus sect started a rebellion in Changyang County, occupied the county seat, and killed the county magistrate. What are those two bastards, the Yichang prefect and the Yichang town commander, doing?"

Hui Ling looked at the urgent military report in her hand and stood up from her seat in shock.

As a descendant of the Eight Banners of Mongolia, he was already of sturdy build, and when he stood up like this, he looked even taller and more majestic.

In the lobby of the government office, seeing the furious governor, everyone from the reporter to the officials of Jingzhou, big and small, all lowered their heads and remained silent.

No one dared to offend the other at this time.

After a long while, Jingzhou Prefect Cui Long finally offered a suggestion, "Your Excellency, the White Lotus sect is causing chaos in Changyang County, and they are suspected to be connected to the rebels in Yidu County. The strategy now isn't to find anyone responsible, but to mobilize troops as quickly as possible and send a message to the Yichang Prefect and the Yichang Town Commander-in-Chief to quell the rebellion!"

"Indeed, what Governor Cui said makes perfect sense!"

"Your Excellency, I believe this matter should be addressed as soon as possible. We should immediately order the Yichang prefect and the Yichang general to quell the rebellion before the Changyang religious bandits become too powerful!"

"That's right. The Baodu religious bandits are now acting like bandits. This is simply foolish. As long as the governor sends troops to suppress them, they can be wiped out in one battle!"

"But where in Jingzhou are there extra troops to suppress the bandits?"

"We can recruit forced civilians and local militia. We can also ask the local gentry to donate more food and fodder to cooperate with the Governor's elite Eight Banners. Are we afraid that we can't defeat the rebels?"

"Please, Your Excellency, send troops!"

"..."

With Cui Longjian taking the lead, the officials who were meeting in the government office began to whisper to each other and offer suggestions.

Upon hearing this, Hui Ling didn't immediately agree. Instead, he hesitated and said, "It's easy for me to send troops, but the Miao people in Hunan are truly abominable. The governor personally went to the front lines in Changde, but he still hasn't been able to completely annihilate the Miao bandits. Now, the tens of thousands of Hunan troops fighting against the Miao are all dependent on Jingzhou and Changde for food and military supplies."

"If I leave Jingzhou without permission, and anything goes wrong with the transportation of military supplies on the Changde front, I will inevitably be questioned and implicated by the Governor!"

After hearing the second half of the sentence, everyone understood that the governor was as timid as he was angry just now.

This is because they are afraid that not only will they fail to suppress the rebellion, but they will also delay the supply of military supplies to the Hunan army, and the Governor will report them to the Emperor!
I understand it, but I am still speechless.

My Lord Futai! You are the Governor of Hubei, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Plain Yellow Banner Manchuria (a title bestowed upon you). Is it proper for you to be so hesitant?

Seeing that some of the prefects were getting impatient, Prefect Cui Long couldn't help but remind them, "Master Fuhe, Changyang and Yidu are only two counties in size. The religious bandits in Yidu County are already established bandits, numbering no more than a thousand. Furthermore, the White Lotus sect members are mostly ignorant, often using supernatural tricks to deceive the people. They have no more than a hundred combat-ready soldiers, and their armor, rations, and military discipline are not as well-organized as those of the government troops. As long as Master Fuhe can personally lead the elite Eight Banners troops into battle, the bandits will be defeated in one fell swoop!"

After saying this, he was afraid that the cowardly Governor Huiling would still not dare to fight, so he added: "If the Governor sends troops now, he can still defeat the bandits in one battle. If he keeps delaying, it will inevitably be suspected of deliberate shirking of responsibility. If the Governor reports this now..."

After hearing this, Huiling understood that if he sent troops now, he could make up for his mistake and stop the White Lotus sect from rebelling in the jurisdiction. He might even gain some merit.

But if it is too late, these stationary bandits will become roving bandits, and by then their crotches will be stained with shit, and it will be too late to wipe it clean.

Hui Ling pondered for a long time before finally nodding his head and making up his mind. "Yes, immediately pass on this governor's military order, calling on all the wealthy families in Jingzhou to donate money and grain, recruit civilians and militiamen, and join my Manchu troops in suppressing the religious bandits in Yidu County."

"Also, send a fast boat from Jingzhou to Yichang, and have Yichang Prefect Wang Yeshan and Yichang Town General Zeng Pangui immediately dispatch troops to suppress the religious bandits in Changyang County."

"Hmm...send an urgent military report to the governor, telling him that the White Lotus sect has appeared in Jingzhou and Yichang. I have decided to personally lead the army to suppress the bandits. Tell him not to worry!"

"Follow the order of the Governor!"

A group of Jingzhou officials hurriedly bowed and responded.

In the next few days, the entire Jingzhou city entered a state of war readiness.

The three hundred Manchu soldiers led by Hui Ling, as well as the officials of the government office, all went out to visit the wealthy families in the city from house to house, and conveyed the governor's order to donate grain to them. At the same time, notices were posted everywhere in the city, ordering all households with able-bodied men to give up one son.

Either serve as soldiers or as laborers to transport grain.

Well, we don’t get any military rations, so we have to take care of our own food and drink.

For a time, the entire Jingzhou city was in turmoil due to Huiling's Manchu soldiers and Jingzhou officials.

Those Manchu soldiers were not so bad. They were used to oppressing the Han people. Even when they saw the generals of the Green Camp, they dared to step forward and extort money.

The runners from the prefectural yamen, however, had finally seized an opportunity to extort money. They didn't target the wealthy in the city, because they were all the prey of the Manchus, who dared not resist when the Manchus extorted them. But if these small-time officials extorted the wealthy, they would face retaliation afterwards. If they couldn't defeat the Manchus, how could they defeat the peasants, who were also Han Chinese?
If they don't dare to extort the rich, aren't there still ordinary people in the city?
The higher-ups had told them to recruit civilians and soldiers for the war, so naturally they had to seize the opportunity and do their best to complete the "task" set by the masters. All able-bodied men in their families had to send someone out.

What? If you can't send people, then pay them!

No money? If you don't have money, you won't sell your children! Giving birth to so many children and not selling them, will it leave us empty-handed? Isn't that bad?
Of course, don’t get me wrong, those who can afford to provide male children should naturally pay money, because you have only provided civilians, and you still have soldiers to provide!

You have provided soldiers and laborers, but you still haven't given them enough military rations. Who said that just because the rich have provided military rations, you ordinary people don't have to?

That's a traitor from the White Lotus Sect!

You kill people without blinking an eye. The government sent troops to suppress the bandits this time for your own good. You peasants should not be ungrateful.

In just a few days, the city of Jingzhou was thrown into chaos by officials from the government office and the Eight Banners Manchu soldiers. People were full of resentment and crying for their parents. Jingzhou, with a governor in charge, should have been a relatively safe place, but it became like hell on earth.

The news soon reached the ears of Hubei Governor Hui Ling and Jingzhou Prefect Cui Longjian. The former just waved his hand and told his subordinates not to report such boring things next time.

As for the latter, he was a well-known official of Jingzhou who cared about the people. Upon hearing this, he was furious and ordered the officials in the government office not to disturb the people in this way.

And then... the prefect has given the order, what else do you want?

To be an honest official in the Qing Dynasty, especially during the reign of Emperor Qianlong, the first thing one must learn is to judge the situation.

Those who can benefit from it are naturally honest officials. Those who do not turn a deaf ear to it and give an explanation to it are already first-class "honest officials".

Otherwise, how do you think he, a Han official, could have achieved the high position of a prefect in the Qianlong Dynasty at the age of just over 50, and at the same time had to please Mr. Man and reassure the old Qianlong.

By the way, the wife of this prefect was a famous female poet in the Qianlong period. Not only was she talented, but she also had a huge network of connections.

Cui Longjian was able to reach the high position of prefect at such a young age as a Han official, which was undoubtedly due to the help of his wife's connections.

In just half a month, the wealthy people in Jingzhou Prefecture were severely exploited. The rich men were all fat and bloated, and even the officials in the prefectural government made a fortune.

Now that the military rations and civilian laborers had been gathered, Hubei Governor Hui Ling did not delay any longer. He immediately requisitioned civilian ships for military use and personally led 300 Manchu soldiers and more than 2,000 civilian laborers, a total of 3,000 troops.

They marched along the way in a mighty force, heading down the river towards Yidu.

Such a big commotion naturally could not be hidden from Nie Yu, who was in Yidu and kept a close eye on the developments in Jingzhou City.

When he saw the Qing Dynasty's Hubei governor, he was too lazy to even exaggerate the military strength, and he dared to come to attack him by boat with 3,000 people.

Without hesitation, Nie Yu put down the newspaper in his hand and gave an order: "Pass on my military order. From now on, all troops will be fully rested. The new recruits will not need to practice. Everyone should put on their armor and prepare to fight the Qing army!"

"Order!"

He Shunan, Bai Nan, Chen Younian, and Xu Sanlang all bowed and responded excitedly.

After so much training every day, we can finally fight the Qing army with real swords and guns.

As long as they win this game, even if it ends in a draw, their fame will spread throughout Hubei and even the world.

Nie Yu looked at Nie Lin and his family members again and gave them a serious instruction: "The General's Mansion must also ensure that military rations are properly prepared. At the same time, they must monitor the county and its surroundings. No one must be allowed to leave and leak our military intelligence!"

Nie Lin nodded. He was also a member of the Nie family. He and General Nie Yu shared the same fate and would die together.

Nie Yu then asked the official in charge of the Firearms Workshop, "Wang Xing, how many cannons has the Firearms Workshop produced so far?"

Wang Xing looked ashamed. "Reporting to the General, time is too short. Even if the firearm workshop works day and night, we have only cast seven new cannons. Including the one we started casting, there are eight cannons in total."

There are a total of eight tiger squat cannons, which is indeed a bit too few, but with such a short time and so few people casting cannons, being able to cast eight cannons is already the limit.

Nie Yu didn't blame him too much, and only asked, "How is the mass production of hand fire grenades?"

Wang Xing's expression brightened when he heard about the fire bomb. "Please rest assured, General. The fire bomb is easy to make. Any craftsman can make it. If you are in a hurry, you can even make it out of solid wood. It won't be a problem to meet your needs."

"Ah That's good."

With the hand fire grenade, Nie Yu will have a greater chance of winning this battle.

Nie Yu was giving orders in Yidu and making final pre-war deployments, while the Qing army on the Yangtze River was still slowly moving south, seemingly not taking Nie Yu, the "rebel", seriously at all.

(End of this chapter)