Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 396: Announcement to the whole city of Yangzhou: Keep the braids but not the people, keep the people but not the braids
All the portable dry food stockpiled in the East Camp was distributed to the soldiers to ensure that everyone had two meals of dry food.

The officers repeatedly reminded that the portable dry rations were for emergencies and should not be eaten unless absolutely necessary!

How about three meals a day?
Provide food from the people.

The march route was densely populated and had many villages.

Fortunately, the bottom line of the Wu army is slightly higher than that of similar feudal armies of this era.

Tongzhou is a prefecture directly under the jurisdiction of the government, and has Taixing County under its jurisdiction.

The gates of the county town were closed tightly, and the atmosphere was solemn and grim.

The previous county magistrate, county magistrate, chief clerk, and registrar were all fired by the governor. Afterwards, two military officers came to serve as the county magistrate and registrar.

Under the strict orders of these two people,
The whole city is under martial law and able-bodied men are recruited to go to the city.

The county magistrate looked at the Wu army marching leisurely outside the city, and his face fell:

"It's over!"

"The court must have been defeated."

……

The Dianshi also felt as if he had lost his parents and sighed.

Both of them came from the military and were familiar with military knowledge.

Before a large-scale decisive battle between two armies determines the outcome, the troops will be highly concentrated and it is absolutely impossible for them to be dispersed like this.

The two men hid in the city gate tower and discussed for a long time.

It was decided to block all the city gates and defend the city to the death. If they could not hold on any longer, they would burn the city down and perish together.

Surrender is impossible. They are all Han army bannermen who are deeply tied to the imperial court, and hundreds of their family members are in the north!
I can't get off the boat in this life~
The Wu army passed through the city and shouted loudly:
"Wu has won. They killed the commander-in-chief Hailancha, annihilated the Jiangbei camp, and annihilated the Sauron troops. Those who are smart should surrender quickly."

He shouted all the way but never stopped.

Under the guidance of the local guide, we kept splitting up our forces and taking down patrols and flood soldiers along the way. The battle was as easy as a competition between a college athlete and a kindergarten kid.

Seeing that the Qing army in Jiangbei was so weak, the 2nd Corps became more and more daring.

They kept dividing their troops along the way, trying to screen all the gentry, big and small.

This is a big matter.

Identifying the number of gentry is also considered a military achievement.

……

"General, there are two gentry families in the village ahead. One is named Yuan, and the other is named Gao."

The military judge glanced at the neatly cut hair on the back of the guide's head.
laughed:

"Did you cut it yourself?"

"Yes, yes. The Tartars are too bad. Now that our Han emperor is on the throne, we must not let this pig tail go."

"He who knows the current situation is a hero. If you lead the way well, you may even be able to become an official in the future."

"Thank you for your kindness, sir."

The guide, who had the temperament of a lazy vagrant, was ecstatic and knelt down and kowtowed.

no way,
Nowadays, people are well-informed and can tell who is rich and powerful by the back of their hand. They are definitely not good citizens.

The army entered the village.

The chicken is flying and the dog is jumping.

People stayed at home, trembling in fear.

boom,
A soldier decisively raised his gun and shot dead a servant standing at the vermilion lacquered gate because the man was holding a knife.

The servant died with his eyes open because he was naturally slow to react and didn't have time to throw away the murder weapon.

His companion had already obediently thrown away the weapon and knelt on the ground obediently, not daring to raise his head.

The soldiers kicked the door open roughly and rushed in.

……

After a while,
The trembling Yuan Shishen was pulled out.

"A great victory was won in Yangzhou. Our Wu army annihilated 30 Tartar soldiers. On behalf of the imperial court, I hereby inform Master Yuan that you have two choices. One, you will die and your clan will be exterminated. Two, you will move your family to Jiangnan immediately."

"Please spare my life, Lord Jun, I am willing to pay for it~"

The military judge continued to take his time.
"I repeat, the current situation is very good and you only have two choices. Choose quickly, my time is precious."

"Master, can I donate half of my property? My family has thousands of acres of fertile land and dozens of houses. I, I can't move away."

The military judge stepped back.
Make a downward cutting motion with your right hand.

A bayonet immediately stabbed into Yuan Shishen's throat~
The soldiers then selected all the men in the family to save gunpowder.

then,

The military judge said to the servants in the mansion:
"My time is very short. If you can point out the location of your master's hidden silver, you can get a reward of 10 taels and leave immediately."

……

With lessons learned from the past,

Mr. Gao was much more sensible and immediately chose to move the whole family.

You can take away your gold, silver and valuables, but you can only take away the land deeds and property deeds of the real estate.

In the words of the military judge:
"When Wu replaces Qing in the future, won't these fertile fields still be yours? Fertile fields don't have legs, so they can't run away."

Mr. Gao felt heartbroken, but his expression was respectful.

A soldier drew his dagger and cut off his braid, thus putting an end to his delusions.

The village chief beat the gong everywhere:
"Fellow villagers, hurry up and prepare food for Master Wang. There is silver, take it."

Wu Jun's work style is always simple and rough.
He would kick open the doors of the common people's houses, and if he saw whose pigs were good-looking, he would drop a large ingot of silver (which belonged to Yuan Shishen) and say:

"Send 80 kilograms of cooked meat over within half an hour."

See whose chicken is growing well, and throw some loose change:
"Send 2 roast chickens over within 10 minutes."

……

Military judges are more flexible.

He targeted a dozen large animals in the village, mainly mules and donkeys.

Just throw down a sum of silver slightly higher than the market price:

"Take it away."

We encountered another unexpected surprise in the next market town.

In order to avoid the war, a gentry in Yangzhou City took his whole family here to hide.

Same old rules, choose 2 from 1.

The heavenly soldiers are very busy and have no time to guide you patiently.

The military judge knew the whole argument by heart.

Long before the battle began,
The Wu State's top leaders drafted a post-war rule and tried to use large-hole fishing nets to identify all Jiangsu gentry south of the Huai River and north of the Yangtze River.

It was Li Yu's instruction to kill all the men.

Rather than leaving hatred to the next generation, it is better to eliminate it in this present time.

Without people, there would be no hatred.

The female relatives are another matter.

Women are born like duckweed, their fate can only go with the flow. They marry into whichever family they belong to, and they marry into whichever country they are from.

After changing your affiliation, the hatred will disappear immediately, so there is no need to worry.
……

Processing completed,

The army continued to advance without stopping.

The proportion of mules and donkeys in the team gradually increased, and the infantry became the rural version of dragoons~
The soldiers relieved their fatigue from the march and ate some roasted chicken and pork, which made their life quite fulfilling.

Anyway, it’s not your own salary that you’re eating, so no one will feel sorry for you.

The portable dry food distributed by the authorities was dry, hard and salty, and the dogs wouldn't eat it.

South of the Huai River,

The Qing army did not have an organized field army that dared to leave the city.

The largest group of troops retreated to Huai'an City.

Fu Chang'an tried his best to gather the remaining soldiers and vowed to defend the important town of Huai'an to the death.

The people were forced to dig trenches and build chevaux de frise outside the city day and night. They also blocked the Grand Canal.
If it weren't for the drought this year, there would be little rain in the summer.

He would definitely send people to dig up Gaoyou Lake and flood the Lixiahe area to repel the enemy with water.

【The Lixiahe area is the most central area of ​​Jiangsu. It is probably the northern part of Yangzhou, Taizhou, northern part of Nantong, and Dongtai of Yancheng in a few hundred years. This area is only 1 meter above sea level, which is equivalent to the bottom of a pot in Jiangsu. If water is released, it will be flooded. It is protected by embankments around it.】

……

After receiving Lin Huaisheng's victory report, Li Yu responded quickly.

The first step was to mobilize civilian ships to go to Yangzhou to assist in the relocation of the families and properties of those gentry who were aware of the current situation.

In order to make the work more enjoyable, the boatman’s wages were doubled according to the market price.

The State of Wu was not a sucker and would not pay this money.

Since those gentry "voluntarily moved their families south", they could certainly also "voluntarily pay to hire a boat".

The whole Huaiyang was in chaos.

On the official road,
It was common to see a Wu army soldier escorting dozens of gentry's families to Yangzhou Prefecture, and few dared to resist or escape on the way.

During the Hongwu reign, Zhu Yuanzhang implemented the policy of “dispersing the wealthy and moving them northward”. When it came to Li Yu, he implemented the policy of “moving the wealthy southward” in reverse.

History is so humorous!
……

According to subsequent investigations,
Only three incidents of resistance occurred during the migration of wealthy families to the south.

In one case, a Wu army soldier who was being escorted was drugged in his food. When he woke up, he found himself empty-handed and without any injuries. The whole family of the gentry ran away, leaving behind 1 taels of silver as an apology.

One was an attempted resistance, and the escorting Wu army soldiers shot and killed one person on the spot and stabbed two others to death.

Only one case was successful. The escorting soldier died on the spot, and the gentry's entire family escaped. `
However, Xi Gongshu, the head of the Huaiyang Operations Team of the Intelligence Agency, paid special attention to this matter and traced the place where the gentry fled - Miaowan Town, where the Fu'ning County seat of Huai'an Prefecture is located.

This area still belonged to the Qing Dynasty's ruling area.

Miaowan is a traditional coastal defense front, with a considerable number of naval and land troops stationed there.

Xi Gongshu's men killed the whole family at night and left bloody words on the wall:
"Anyone who attacks Wu's army will be punished no matter how far away they are."

Just across the street is the Funing County Government Office.

however,
The bailiffs did not dare to investigate the matter and simply collected the body.

Who dares to meddle in other people’s business?
Now that Wu’s army is at its peak, is everyone in Jiangbei feeling insecure?
Even if Wu Jun can't defeat you right away, aren't you afraid that the killer will come to your house at night to greet your whole family?
With only that little salary a month, why would you want to fight with the highly paid spies behind enemy lines? Are you worthy?
……

The city of Yangzhou was taken painlessly.

After witnessing the Qing army fleeing in front and the Wu army chasing behind,

The defenders' confidence collapsed.

The new Tongzhi still wanted to resist, but unexpectedly two officers from the Yangzhou City Defense Camp colluded with their soldiers and directly opened the city gate.

then,

The 1st Legion took advantage of the situation and entered the city without a single blow.

The last area of ​​traditional Jiangnan, Yangzhou, was finally incorporated into the territory of the Wu State.

The Wu army was tired, but morale was high.

It’s all harvest, all military merit.

Lin Huaisheng was stationed in Yangzhou and ordered Miao Youlin to lead his troops to Huai'an City for a walk. This was not to attack the city, but to show off their power and completely demoralize the Qing army.

This point is very critical, commonly known as "conquering".

……

1800 (official and temporary) yamen runners in Yangzhou City were summoned to the parade ground and knelt on the ground.

As Lin Huaisheng walked onto the platform surrounded by his guards, he issued a military order:

"Announce to the whole city: keep the queues but not the people, keep the people but not the queues. Those who are willing to be the subjects of the Wu Kingdom should cut off their queues immediately and live and work in peace in Yangzhou. Those who are not willing should leave Yangzhou immediately with their families and are not allowed to take any property with them. The deadline is tomorrow noon!"

"This includes everyone present here!"

The yamen runners may have thought too much about it and cut off the braids on the spot.

In fact, many people still prefer the Qing Dynasty, but they are worried that Wu Zetian is not so kind and will really let go of those who are unwilling to cut their braids?

Maybe you will be hacked and chopped by swords and axes as soon as you leave the city!
The yamen runners who had their braids cut off had mournful faces and beat gongs to announce to the whole city:
"The king's master has issued an order: the people of Yangzhou should keep their braids but not their people, or keep their people but not their braids."

The people trembled and their faces turned pale.

The familiar cry touched the deepest fear in the blood of the people of Yangzhou.

The north gate is open,

Wu army soldiers stood on the city wall and watched the people who appeared on the streets trembling with fear.

Judging from the clothes,

A higher proportion of scholars choose to leave the city.

The whole city was very nervous, fearing that Wu Jun would go back on his word and suddenly raise his butcher knife.

No bloody massacre occurred until the first few hundred people left safely.

……

"Stop, leave your bag behind!"

The Wu army strictly followed the military order that no money or property could be taken away.

The bundles, gold hairpins, and small silver coins that the people wanted to take away were scattered all over the ground. Some sharp-eyed soldiers even found silver bills in the sleeves of some people.

"Sir, what should I do?"

"If anyone smuggles less than 100 taels, their property will be confiscated and they will be released. If they carry more than 100 taels, they will not be allowed to leave and will be detained and sent to a hard labor camp."

evening,

Before closing the gates,

An estimated 2 people left.

The next morning, it started to rain lightly.

The yamen runners worked tirelessly, wearing straw raincoats and continued to beat the gong to remind:

"Listen up, elders of Yangzhou. Keep the queue but not the people. Keep the people but not the queue. The deadline is 3: pm. All males found keeping the queue will be beheaded and their families will be exiled. Make a decision quickly."

More people opened their doors and hesitated back and forth at their doorsteps.

One wrong choice and your life will be reset to zero.

If you make a wrong choice, your whole family will die.

……

"Fifth brother, do you want to leave?"

"Let's go! If you cut off your braids, the soldiers will surely start a massacre once they recapture Yangzhou. Jiangnan is no match for the imperial court after all, and it won't last for more than a few years."

The man called Fifth Brother was a paper-hanger.

Don't underestimate this business. With this skill, he has an above-average living standard in Yangzhou.

The fifth brother left in a wheelbarrow carrying his young wife and two children.

The cold raindrops hit his bald forehead, which was very refreshing.

The neighbor who asked the question was a cook named Chun San.

In Yangzhou, a prosperous canal city, a good cook is considered a well-paid person.

but,

His only son is sick with a fever. If the whole family leaves the city and wanders around, they will surely die!

He hesitated for a long time, holding onto the door frame.
Suddenly, three consecutive cannon shots were heard in the city.

The yamen runners were like ducks being grabbed by the scruff of the neck, beating the gongs closely and speaking in shrill voices:

"It's 3: p.m. and people are going out to be checked."

……

Chun San's forehead instantly oozes big beads of sweat.

He grabbed the braid behind his head and looked for scissors everywhere.
A yamen runner saw this and shouted:
"You don't want your life?"

"Sir, I want to cut my braids, but I can't find anything."

The bailiff drew out his oxtail knife, cut off his braid and threw it into the water.

In the distance, the sound of orderly military boots could be heard.

Chun San and the yamen runners knelt involuntarily in the mud, lowering their heads and not daring to look straight ahead.

The two soldiers took a look at Chun San's short stubble.
I walked into his next-door neighbor's house, but there was no one at the door. He must have left.

The soldier broke the lock and checked to make sure no one was there, then left the room.

The seal is put on ~
On the seal, there is a line of eye-catching red font:

"Open this seal without permission and I will kill you!"

From then on, the room of the paper-hanger Fifth Brother no longer belonged to him personally, but became the property of the Wu court.

……

Yangzhou city is too big.

This work lasted until the third day before it was basically completed.

It is estimated that 8 people left and 22 people remained.

Lin Huaisheng is very busy.
His staff went in and out of the house more frequently than during the battle.

There are two priorities at the moment:
The first was to confiscate the property of the criminal officials in Yangzhou and all the property of the wealthy families who had left the city.

The second thing is to organize ships to transport south.

On the canal, white sails blocked out the sun.

The gentry who had moved from various places bargained with the boatmen, hoping to get their entire families and their valuables across the river as quickly as possible.

1 Jiangyin ship captain,

Pointing at the back of the gentleman's head who had just agreed on the price:

"You pig tail, why didn't you cut it off? The general was too busy and missed you."

"what?"

"What? You want to have your feet on two boats? Do you still want to cross the river?"

thump,
There were a few more braids on the river surface, rippling in the water.

……

The captain weighed the silver in his pocket.

Earned ~
In the past two months, I earned as much money as I would have earned in the previous two years.

The wife and children at home go to the dock to sell meals and boiled water at dawn every day, and return home reluctantly only after the sun sets.

Continue like this,

We will soon be able to build three tiled houses and add two acres of paddy fields. We are so happy.

Your Majesty is wise~
The storyteller really didn't lie. Fellow villagers helped each other.

The emperors before were all from the north, but the emperors now are from the south of the Yangtze River. This is really different.

Thinking of this,

He became even more proud, holding the pole and yelling:
"Everyone, hold on tight. Let's start the boat."

The gentleman cursed inwardly:

"Nanman, your whole family is barbaric."

(End of this chapter)