There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 56 The Governor of Huguang is gone
(I’m finally back from visiting relatives)
The chaos in Ma'anshan Town has been settled.

The speed of the attack was very fast. After all, they were just a group of refugees. Even if Boss Wang was well prepared, the refugees in a town could only be of great use at most.

At most, there were only a thousand people, and no more than one-third of them were young and strong enough to fight. In addition, Ma'anshan Town was too close to Wuchang Prefecture. It was so close that the Qing army from Wuchang Prefecture attacked as soon as the refugee rebellion in Ma'anshan broke out.

The leader of the troops was Cheng De, who had been released by the Han army. Although he had suffered a terrible defeat at the hands of the Han army and was forced to collude with the Han army and lie about the military situation in Hubei, he did have some military ability. Although he had not made many military achievements, he had suppressed many White Lotus rebels.

It’s so easy to deal with Boss Wang’s group of a thousand or so small “rebels”!

The refugee uprising in Ma'anshan was short-lived and even the "bandit leader" Wang Lao Da disappeared. No one knew whether he died or escaped, but the impact it brought was severe.

Because even in the market town at the foot of Wuchang Prefecture, there were refugees who dared to openly kill landlords and rebel.

How the hell is this even possible?

Suppression must be severe!
All refugees were driven out, and anyone with a problem was thrown into jail or simply killed.

As a result, the refugees, who were already forced to live by the government, were unable to survive. The refugees in Ma'anshan took the lead in the uprising. Although it was quickly suppressed, they were going to die anyway. Rather than starve to death or be killed by the government soldiers, it would be better to do it in a grand manner. Damn it!

Wuchang Prefecture City, Governor's Office.

"What did you say? There are refugees rebelling in Jiayu and Xianning counties?" Hui Ling looked incredulous and jumped up from his seat.

What the hell is going on?
Hadn't he just sent a large army to suppress the rebels in Ma'anshan, and had Cheng De go there in person because he had no generals under his command whom he could trust and command.

Governor Chen Wangzhi was also confused: "Your Excellency, it is absolutely true. I just learned the news myself. It was the military report sent back by Your Excellency Chengde."

He was clearly still working hard to make money, both for himself and for the Governor. After all, the Jingzhou rebels were real rebels, and they had to be resisted. He could also improve his relationship with the Governor while doing so.

But who would have thought that just as they started to make money, the two counties of Xianning and Jiayu were forced to rebel.

This is a county town under the jurisdiction of the capital Wuchang, not those messy counties in other prefectures.

"So what's the situation in these two counties now?" Hui Ling didn't bother to ask the reason. It would be useless to ask. He could only ask about the rebellion in the two counties first.

Chen Wangzhi said, "Lord Chengde reported that refugees from the two counties had launched a rebellion, with thousands of followers. Lord Chengde led his troops to fight the refugees and bandits in Xianning, killing over a thousand of them, and the rest fled to the southwest. Upon hearing the news, the bandits from Jiayu County also fled across the border into Hanyang Prefecture. Lord Chengde, being alone and with no force, did not dare pursue them, and instead stayed in charge of the two counties."

"That's good, that's good!" Hui Ling heaved a sigh of relief when he heard that the bandits had been defeated.

Chen Wangzhi asked, "Then, Your Excellency, what should we do now?"

Hui Ling thought carefully and said, "For now, hold the troops in place and send an order to Cheng De... No, I'd rather write a letter myself to explain the pros and cons. Also, change the target of recruitment to those refugees. This time, don't be stingy with money and food. Make sure to recruit all the young and strong refugees into the army. Then, explain the unrest in Ma'anshan Town and Jiayu and Xianning counties to the gentry. It doesn't matter if it's a bit tragic. Then set a quota and have them all donate to the military pay and fodder."

"What if there are still wealthy people who refuse to donate?" Chen Wangzhi asked again.

Hui Ling sneered: "If anyone dares not to hand it over, their house will be raided. If there is any problem, I will take the responsibility."

Damn it!

He was from the Eight Banners of Mongolia, belonging to the second tier of the Eight Banners aristocracy. His father was an important Mongolian official, and he was in the same boat with Chengde and many Manchu families.

No matter who takes responsibility, it is not his turn to bear it.

Chen Wangzhi even said in his heart, "Brilliant."

Although the wealthy families in Wuchang must have hated Huiling, the whole process was like this: the wealthy families provided money and grain, and the government was responsible for recruiting and training soldiers, and the targets of recruitment were young and strong refugees.

In this way, the young and strong refugees were recruited away, and the remaining old, weak, women and children would find it difficult to cause chaos. The money and grain were provided by the wealthy gentry, so the problem of paying was solved, and the officials and runners could make a lot of money.

The officials made money, the unrest caused by refugees was quelled, and the wealthy families were safe. It can be said that everyone benefited!

Hmm... so you know all of it?

If Cui Long saw Hui Ling still alive at this time, he would probably have cursed him. If Hui Ling had not allowed the Eight Banners Manchu soldiers to harass and extort rich families, the subsequent defeat of Yidu County would probably not have happened, and even the governor Hui Ling would not have been captured alive.

The capital of Jingzhou would not be lost so carelessly and quickly.

Unfortunately, there are no ifs. Huiling was also frightened, and with all the Manchu soldiers under his command dead, he began to cut the Gordian knot. ...

Hunan, Changde Prefecture.

"Fengtian Chengyun Emperor, the imperial edict said:

In the 60th year of the Qianlong reign (1712), the Governor of Hubei, Hui Ling, and the Right Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Jingzhou, Cheng De, jointly impeached the Governor of Huguang, Bi Yuan, for harboring the enemy, taking bribes and perverting the law, and improperly deploying troops, which led to the fall of Jingzhou. This matter is of great importance, and I have carefully considered it and order that Bi Yuan's hat and feather be removed immediately and he be brought to the capital for trial.

Admire this! "

The official who announced the decree finished reading it slowly, then handed it down and said lightly.

"Master Governor, please accept my order!"

Bi Yuan was clearly kneeling, but his calves were trembling. He even thought he had misheard. Governor Hui Ling, with whom he had a tacit understanding before, actually joined hands with the Eight Banners Commanders-in-Chief of Jingzhou to impeach him.

The impeachment was for harboring enemies to protect his own interests, and the key point was that the Emperor believed it and actually took off his official hat.

Yes, Jingzhou City is gone, and so many Manchus and Bannermen have died. Someone has to be found to take the blame.

If he, the governor, is not allowed to take the blame, will the governor, who is also a bannerman and who finally escaped from the hands of the rebels in Jingzhou, be asked to take the blame?
"Governor Bi, please accept my order!"

Seeing Bi Yuan kneeling like this, the official who announced the decree became a little impatient and simply stopped giving him face verbally.

Anyway, this time when he goes to Beijing, Bi Yuan is likely to be in great danger, and it is a blessing that he is still alive.

"Your Majesty...your humble servant obeys your command! Long live the Emperor...Long live the Emperor!"

Bi Yuan felt sad and frightened, but he didn't dare to say a word of no. He could only kneel down with difficulty and complete the handover of the imperial edict.

Then, two members of the Zhili Eight Banners who had followed came forward, carried Bi Yuan and took him away.

The official who announced the imperial edict even declined Jingzhou General Xing Zhao's invitation to stay for a banquet, and forced a smile. He arrived in Changde in the morning, and in the afternoon he set off again, escorting the prison cart back to the capital.

After watching the prison van leave, Xing Zhao sighed, and the enthusiasm he had pretended to have on his face turned cold in an instant.

"Master Governor, have a safe journey!"

Xing Zhao raised his hand and bowed, he knew that Bi Yuan was finished.

Not only was Bi Yuan finished, but he himself was also to blame. He was lucky enough to escape the disaster because of his surname Aisin Gioro.

Xing Zhao still remembered that as soon as the other party finished reading the imperial edict during the day, he hurriedly pulled him to a secluded place in the study and read out the oral instructions that the emperor gave to him alone.

It was more of a rebuke than an oral instruction, and it was a rebuke that was merciless and every word was piercing.

Xing Zhao was terrified when he heard this, so he raised his hand to see Bi Yuan off. This was both to thank Bi Yuan for taking all the blame for him and to remind himself at all times.

"Sir, what should we do now?" asked the Changde prefect with a look of horror.

He was really scared. He was the governor, but he was told to take off his hat and was taken to the capital for trial instead of awaiting trial. His fate was predictable.

The original Changde Prefecture had always been under the sole responsibility of the Governor Bi Yuan, while Xing Zhao only assisted in military affairs and at the same time deployed the two thousand Manchu soldiers from Jingzhou.

Now that the governor is gone, Xing Zhao, the general of Jingzhou, has automatically taken his place.

"Transfer General Fu Zhi from Zhenxian Town to come back to Changde to see me!"

　The Qing Dynasty emperors issued decrees in two ways: officials in Beijing received the decree, which was announced by eunuchs in the palace; officials outside Beijing received the decree, who were sent by officials on express horses to announce it.

　　It was for this reason that Cixi's eunuch An Dehai left the capital without permission and was killed by Ding Baozhen.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)