Chapter 275: Rich Harvest (V)
"Report! Sir, the enemy army attacked Xuzhou the day before yesterday ."
"Go and scout again!" Ortai shouted. After the scouts left, Ortai continued to lead his army to Kaifeng. His scouts had already targeted the bandit troops that left Kaifeng, but the bandit troops did not care and continued to attack the counties and prefectures one by one.
Ortai knew that it was meaningless for him to go to help. The scouts reported the news from two days ago. It would take at least six or seven days to get from Ortai to Xuzhou. By the time he got to Xuzhou, who knows where the enemy army would have been. Maybe the enemy army would have already reached Xinyang according to their current path.
Just as Ortai expected, Qian Qing had already executed all the civil and military officials in Xuzhou outside the city. Xuzhou was a prefecture. If you mention its other name "Xuchang", I think people who know about the Three Kingdoms will know that this capital of Cao Wei was Kaifeng Prefecture in Henan Province at that time. To the west was Henan Prefecture located in the Luoyang Basin. Qian Qing didn't want to climb the mountain road, so he went along the plain to eliminate the Qing officials.
In Xuzhou, only more than 1,000 Green Camp soldiers were killed or wounded, and the rest had surrendered. More than 60 officers and more than 100 minor civil and military officials were all executed. Qian Qing was somewhat surprised that not many clerks were killed. After asking the captured official doorman and cook, he learned that the local clerks had learned about the Han army's killing targets through their relatives, and fled out of the city as soon as they saw the Han army coming.
"Tsk! That's smart." Qian Qing sneered, but did not order a pursuit.
After purchasing a batch of food in Xuzhou, the troops headed for the next target, Ruzhou. There were no defenders on the top of Ruzhou City, and even the city gates were not closed. The Han army entered the city carefully, but found that the government office was empty. After asking, they learned that the officials had fled.
Qian Qing was a little surprised. This was the first time in all these years that she had seen an official abandon his post and run away.
Since there were no officials in Ruzhou, the Han army continued to buy a batch of grain at the market after the autumn harvest and turned eastward to Chenzhou.
Chenzhou is also a fertile land in Henan. The troops passed through ditches along the road. Unlike Shandong, there is a lot of water here. Qian Qing even wondered if the water villages in the south of the Yangtze River would be like this, with ditches everywhere.
When they arrived at the city of Chenzhou, they saw that the city gates were closed and there was no one on the city walls. The troops spent a lot of effort to climb over the city wall and opened the city gate. After rushing in, they found that the government office in the city was empty again. Could it be that the officials had escaped again?
Qian Qing did not conduct a city-wide search. Like the people along the way, he just posted a lot of notices throughout the city and then left.
As soon as the Han army left, some people secretly followed behind the Han army. After confirming that the Han army had left, these people immediately rushed back to their local houses. It turned out that the governor of Chenzhou made a bold decision. He did not let the Green Camp guard the city, but put the Green Camp in the countryside. The officials hid in the houses of the people.
No one could believe that this method of covering one's ears and stealing the bell could work, but the Qing Dynasty system stipulated that one had the responsibility to defend the territory.
Although the Green Camp was ordered to leave Chenzhou, they only wished their parents had given them two less legs and ran fast. Chenzhou had no more troops to defend it. But this did not mean that officials could escape. No matter what the reason, leaving the city during wartime was a capital crime.
Unexpectedly, the Han army did not search for him, but just passed by leisurely. A group of frightened officials dressed in civilian clothes, looked at the prefect who was still in official uniform, and flattered him.
The prefect said, "Why should you be so modest? When the enemy came to Chenzhou, we were waiting on the city wall. When the enemy saw that we were united, they felt that they could not take Chenzhou, so they dispersed. Although I fought hard, you also made contributions."
The officials were dumbfounded as they listened to the prefect's description of the scene that seemed to come out of a dream. However, they were officials after all, and after a moment of shock, they understood what was going on. Someone immediately shouted, "We were on high alert under the prefect's leadership. The enemy army knew that the siege would result in heavy casualties, so they withdrew after a day of stalemate. The prefect has made great contributions, and we have worked hard even if we have not made any contributions!"
By this time, all the officials knew what to say. As they talked, they had already perfected the story of the Chenzhou governor leading the officials to defend Chenzhou according to their imagination.
Then someone started writing, and the others gathered around to watch. They were all literati, and the person wrote a sentence, and everyone read it. If there was anything inappropriate, they would make suggestions. Soon, a copy was written and handed over to the prefect. The prefect went back to revise and copy it, and sent someone to deliver it to Kaifeng.
Wang Weichang outside Kaifeng was anxiously trying to find out the news about Ortai's troops. The Qing army stopped moving when it was still sixty or seventy miles away from Kaifeng. Sixty or seventy miles is not far, but it is not close either.
If Ortai suddenly sent troops, they would arrive in a day on such a plain. His subordinates all suggested that Wang Weichang retreat, but Wang Weichang was determined not to retreat. "We don't leave now. Even if we leave, we have to wait until the Qing army arrives outside the city."
However, after waiting for a day, Ortai did not come closer, which frightened Wang Weichang's subordinates.
Ortai was also confused. Scouts repeatedly inquired and found that a Han army was standing still outside Kaifeng City, as if waiting for something.
Ortai felt that there must be something wrong. Because according to the latest news, Qian Qing's troops have begun to attack Chenzhou. Chenzhou is located to the south of Ortai. As long as this group of troops goes north, they can attack Ortai with the previous group.
Moreover, the Han army that attacked Chenzhou could continue to advance eastward and attack Jining. Ortai knew very well that once Jining fell, the Qing army in Henan would have no one to rely on.
Therefore, even when facing a force of less than a thousand people under the city of Kaifeng, the 30,000 Qing troops did not move, but waited for further news.
Qian Qing didn't know that Wang Weichang was still holding out outside Kaifeng. The scouts she sent out also discovered Ortai's strange behavior. This Qing army that came to aid Kaifeng neither entered the city nor took any action. Instead, they inexplicably set up camp more than 60 miles away from Kaifeng, as if they were waiting for some order.
The generals all advised Qian Qing to go to Jining, but Qian Qing didn't want to go that way. She had three regiments and 6,000 men under her command. She also carried six 10-jin cannons and twelve 3-jin cannons. There was no ammunition consumed along the way, and no casualties. Since Ortai was so strange, Qian Qing was ready to go and see what happened.
All the generals knew Qian Qing's personality. Although he was not reckless, he would never turn a blind eye to what he saw. He could probably be described as a stickler for details.
When Qian Qing arrived at the Ortai camp, apart from the traces of the garrison, there were probably only some worthless garbage and feces and urine on the ground to prove that a large number of troops had been stationed there. Qian Qing chased forward and found that Wang Weichang was still stationed outside Kaifeng.
Even a resolute man like Qian Qing was shocked by Wang Weichang, and the other regiment commanders and battalion commanders couldn't help but praise Wang Weichang for his courage. Wang Weichang didn't blow it off, he quickly told Qian Qing the intelligence he had noticed.
Two days ago, a large number of Qing troops entered Kaifeng City. This Qing army must have at least tens of thousands of people. At this time, the garrison force on the top of Kaifeng City has changed from a mixture of soldiers and civilians to being composed entirely of Qing troops.
After listening to what Wang Weichang provided, all the generals were excited. At least they felt their hearts beating violently. Since the Qing army had already entered Kaifeng, they could kill them all. With Qian Qing's temperament, how could he let go of such a situation?
Qian Qing thought for a moment and said, "In that case, let's go to Jining."
"Why?" Wang Weichang was puzzled.
"We originally wanted to kill the Qing officials and let the people of Henan see that we can dominate Henan. Now that we have achieved our goal, why should we let everyone die in vain under the city of Kaifeng?"
"Commander, we have to fight!" Some regiment commanders felt that retreating like this was not a good idea.
Qian Qing sneered: "If we want to fight, we can fight at any time. Since the Qing army has tens of thousands of people, there are tens of thousands less Qing troops in Jining. Let's go to Jining and fight to our heart's content!"
When Qian Qing arrived in Jining, he saw the flag of the Han army flying on the top of the city. Lei Hu, who was attacking Jining, had already come out to meet him. After seeing Qian Qing, he smiled bitterly and said, "This Yue Zhongqi is a cunning thief. He probably heard that you were coming and immediately led his troops to retreat. He went to the direction of Liangshan. I didn't want to chase him, but he actually got away."
Qian Qing was not too surprised. Both Ortai and Yue Zhongqi were shrewd and experienced generals. Especially Yue Zhongqi, who had suffered a defeat in the Han army, was even more cautious and did not give the Han army a chance to defeat him head-on. So he advised: "We don't want to use troops on a small scale. Since it is a large-scale operation, it will be difficult to capture Yue Zhongqi."
Lei Hu sighed. Qian Qing's words hit the point. Although Lei Hu wanted to win, he didn't want to lose extra troops. After all, his opponent was Yue Zhongqi. Lei Hu was worried that if he sent a regiment-level force, more than a thousand people would be swallowed up by Yue Zhongqi.
After all, the Han army had always fought on a large scale in recent days. Unless the enemy was small in number, they would send troops of similar number to the enemy to fight. Yue Zhongqi always controlled his tens of thousands of troops very effectively and did not give Lei Hu any chance at all.
Lei Hu could only make small talk: "The governor won't blame us, right?"
Qian Qing replied unhappily: "You are just making conversation!"
Feeling awkward, Lei Hu laughed awkwardly.
Although Jining was important, it was not a place that . Since the Qing Dynasty had given up, the Han army only left one regiment to defend here, and also told the commander Zheng that if he encountered a siege by a superior enemy, he should withdraw from Jining City and retreat to the east of the canal to join the Han army near Tai'an.
Lei Hu and Qian Qing led the troops back to Linzi. There was no conversation along the way. After seeing Huo Chong, Lei Hu couldn't help but complain, "Commander-in-chief, this trip was almost in vain. There is no result."
Huo Chong waved his hand, "Lei Hu, do you know what idling is?"
Lei Hu immediately shook his head, "I've never heard of this term!"
Huo Chong then remembered that idling is actually a term used in mechanics. It means that the engine continues to run when it is not in gear. No matter how high the engine runs, it still does not do any work.
After explaining, Huo Chong asked Lei Hu, "How long do you think it will take for the Qing Dynasty to resume its administration over Henan and southern Zhili?"
Lei Hu had been entangled with Yue Zhongqi, and had no idea about Qian Qing's destruction of the Qing prefectures and counties. He could only shake his head to indicate that he didn't know, while looking at Qian Qing.
Qian Qing said confidently: "As long as the Qing officials don't flee to the state capital, it will take at least a few months."
"A few months have passed and we don't have to worry about this year's autumn grain. Haha." Huo Chong laughed.
"A few months have passed, and we can forget about the autumn grain this year!" Prime Minister Lao Shisi shouted at the Minister of Personnel.
The Han army cleared out all the officials in the county town in southern Zhili, which had caused the collection of autumn grain in southern Zhili to come to a complete halt . It would take officials to get back on track. Now the Han army did the same thing in Henan. Not only could the grain in Henan not be collected and transported to the capital, but the original plan to withdraw troops from Henan also fell through.
Not only is Henan unable to provide officials, but it also has to rely on other places to provide officials to Henan.
Minister of Personnel Chalang'a didn't know what to say. This matter was beyond his imagination. But the old fourteenth man in front of him looked like he wanted to eat someone. How could Chalang'a shirk his responsibility? He made up his mind and said, "Your Majesty, why don't you use a bannerman as a county magistrate and send him to collect grain and grass?"
Old Fourteen also knew that the Hanlin scholars did not want to go to the counties that had been ravaged by the Han army. This feeling was probably similar to the fact that the troops in the capital now had no sense of security at all.
Once a prominent figure in a certain place was killed, everyone naturally felt that the place was no longer safe. Who would be willing to give up a good life and go to such a place to die?
Even though he knew what the officials were thinking, Old Fourteen, as the Prime Minister, could not help but get angry. After thinking for a moment, he ordered, "Transfer officials from Jiangnan. Give the order to transfer them immediately!"
Chalanga agreed immediately. Just as he was about to go to do his job, he heard Lao Shisi calling him.
"Your Majesty, do you have any other instructions?" Chalang'a asked quickly.
Old Fourteen gritted his teeth and said, "All the candidates in the capital should stay here first. Arrange them to serve as officials in various counties first. It's better than having no one to use them."
Although the canal was no longer accessible, the transmission of letters did not rely on the canal. The fast horses immediately set out along the road and delivered the news from the capital to Jiangnan. In less than ten days, on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, a day full of blessings and a certain melancholy, the news reached Jiangsu.
After reading the document, the Jiangsu prefect did not dare to neglect it and immediately sent an official document to the county magistrate assigned to the province. It was only a few days late that the Zhejiang governor also received the news. He did not dare to hesitate at all and issued the order in a fair and impartial manner.
However, the officialdom is a place where information cannot be hidden. Long before the official document arrived, the news that Huo Chong was wreaking havoc in Henan had already reached Zhenjiang. Many people immediately made an appointment to go to Chen Mingtai's place. When they saw Chen Mingtai, one of them gave him something.
Chen Mingtai opened it and saw that it was a manifesto. Because he was not careful when he took it off, many parts were damaged. Even so, Chen Mingtai glanced at it casually and had already finished reading it.
This is the Han army's manifesto for Chenzhou. The difference between this manifesto and other local manifestos is that the name of the local area is written in the blank space, rather than simply referring to a province.
After Chen Mingtai finished reading, the parents of the students taking the exam asked anxiously, "Mr. Chen, could it be that what is said in the manifesto is actually true?"
Chen Mingtai didn't know how to comment for a moment. Huo Chong's articles all presented facts and made sense, especially the long article about Yongzheng's accession to the throne, which clearly introduced the complex internal relationships of the royal family.
The point of each of these articles is the same: "The barbarians will not have a hundred years of national destiny." This time, the article tells that the Qing Dynasty has both the Beijing regime and the Shengjing regime. At present, the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty have to face the difficulty of recognizing who is the orthodox court of the Qing Dynasty.
Huo Chong even posed a question with a lot of sarcasm. If the Green Camp had not fought to the death with the Qing Dynasty, and if the Qing Dynasty they supported failed in the civil war, these people would not only not receive any compensation, but they would not even have the chance to be honored as meritorious officials.
As Chen Mingtai was calculating the situation, he heard a parent of a candidate in the capital ask again, "Mr. Chen, is it true that the barbarians will not have a hundred years of national fortune?"
Chen Mingtai replied unhappily: "Huo Chong said that the court is barbarians, so who is he? Don't forget, Huo Chong donated money to the court. If the court is barbarians, Huo Chong is a traitor."
The parents were temporarily stunned by such a righteous statement, but some people still murmured, "Huo Chong said it clearly. The imperial court was just Li Chengliang's servants before. If Huo Chong became the emperor..."
Other parents immediately pulled this child and asked him to stop muttering.
Chen Mingtai had no good feelings towards Huo Chong. After all, the court had invited scholars to gather and told them that Huo Chong did not follow the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, and even burned down the Yansheng Mansion.
People who do such things are of course enemies of scholars. Chen Mingtai does not want a guy like Huo Chong to become emperor.
However, Chen Mingtai knew better that no matter how much he disliked Huo Chong, he had no intention of going to the battlefield to fight him. On the contrary, what the patriarch said made sense. If Huo Chong became the emperor, Chen Mingtai would be helpless. Moreover, Chen Mingtai had no intention of becoming a remnant of the Qing Dynasty.
Finally, Chen Mingtai said, "Let's call all the disciples back."
The parents actually wanted to call their children back home and keep them by their side. However, they still felt a little regretful. If their children passed the imperial examination, wouldn't it delay their future if they were called back?
But Chen Mingtai thought that the capital was not safe, and everyone had made a decision. The Qing Emperor Yongzheng had the protection of the entire capital, but he still lost his head. No matter how good the future is, you have to be alive to enjoy it.
What the parents didn't know was that Huo Chong had no intention of attacking the capital again. For Huo Chong, there were important things to do in Shandong. Land reform was a big deal, and expanding the army to 100,000 was enough to keep everyone busy.
This external attack was more of a defense than an attack. The purpose was to scare the Qing Dynasty and prevent them from entering Shandong.
Just when Huo Chong thought that things would be consumed in such a busy and trivial matter, someone came to visit. Hearing the name, Huo Chong was surprised.
