Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 421: Jia Xu's vicious plan: unite the locals to remove the guests, and force the guests to remove the tide~
The house was dead silent.

Yi Erhang bypassed the major case, grabbed the prison warden, stared into his eyes and asked:

"You are just a mere ninth rank, where did this news come from?"

The prison warden was so frightened that he trembled all over.

He stuttered:
"I am in charge of the prison, and I learned this from a female prisoner from the Tiandihui."

……

"Bring the prisoner immediately to verify his authenticity."

This is a big matter.

A team of Eight Banners soldiers rushed out and returned, bringing back the female prisoner involved in the case and three related prisoners.

The day before yesterday,

The Guangzhou government sent troops to inspect all the gambling houses in the city and confiscated more than 20 taels of silver to use as military expenses, but did not arrest any gamblers.

The atmosphere in Guangdong and Guangxi is pragmatic.

The relationship between the government and the underworld is not incompatible, but rather one of mutual cooperation and mutual vigilance.

When there is no conflict of interest between the two parties, peace can be the most important thing, and everyone can go their own way and share the profits.

Yamen runners and gang members could sit at the same table and have morning tea.

We all make money together, there is no need to fight and kill~
……

In the eyes of the government,
The Tiandihui and the White Lotus Society cannot be mentioned in the same breath.

The White Lotus Sect has been a professional rebellion for thousands of years and is stubborn and unrepentant.

The Tiandihui was more like a business, more concerned with expanding its influence and making money.

however,
This time it was a little weird.

A gambling house that was raided was actually arrested with weapons.

The Green Camp soldiers called in musketeers, and a single volley of fire solved the problem, killing three tattooed men on the spot and arresting the rest, who were severely tortured in prison.

……

Among them was a female prisoner, who was given a nickname by people in the underworld: Xuelihong.

The warden was jealous and wanted to see how popular it was.
As a result, the woman was frightened by the various torture instruments hanging on the wall and thought that the secret of her rebellion had been exposed.

He burst into tears and took the initiative to tell the news that all parties had agreed to start a war on New Year's Eve. The prison warden was so scared that he peed himself and crawled to the governor's office to report.
This is how the above scene appeared.

……

"Governor, I am willing to lead the water warriors~"

Yilhang raised his right hand to stop Admiral Guan Daguan from speaking next.

He stood up slowly and straightened his clothes.

Throw down a sentence:
"Please sit down and have some tea."

Then he hurried into the back house and summoned a guest with a very special identity - Wu Bingjian.

After briefly describing the current predicament, he asked:
"Mr. Wu, what should I do?"

A few years ago, the Ng family founded Jardine Matheson, which had just grown wings and was ready to take off.
It was brutally broken by Pu Fu (Fucheng's father), the then supervisor of Chaozhou Customs. Li Yu played an indirect role in this.

The Wu family's property was ransacked and two of the three brothers were beheaded.

Only Wu Bingjian was left, and he fled many times.

Finally, he hooked up with Governor Irhang and managed his overseas smuggling business with his fluent English and business acumen.

can only say,
He shouldn't die.

Yilhang came to him today because he was desperate and wanted to find a cure.

……

Wu Bingjian was overjoyed when he heard this, but he remained calm and sincere on the surface.

"Master, don't worry. Let me think about it. There is always a way out. There must be a way."

After all,

He didn't hesitate and pulled over a chair and sat quietly with his eyes closed.

Yilhang saw beads of sweat rolling down his thin face, knowing that he was thinking intensely, so he did not urge him, but waited quietly.

Time passes slowly,
A quarter of an hour later,
Wu Bingjian opened his eyes, his gaze sharp:
"I have a plan - unite the locals to drive away the invaders, and force the invaders to drive away the tide."

"Nonsense. If this happens, won't our province be in chaos?"

"As the saying goes in the business world, you have to face death before you can survive. Let it be chaotic, it's good to be chaotic. It's a headache for us, and Wu Jun is also a headache."

Yilhang was very conflicted. He instinctively felt that there were too many uncertainties in this strategy.

So I asked:

"Liantu Shoveler?"

"The Governor's Office has given the Cantonese gentry in western Guangdong the right to hunt and kill Hakkas. Naturally, they will actively seize land and water sources. Guangdong is divided into three parts. After paying the tribute, the Cantonese will be completely tied to the imperial chariot. By then, even if some people want to jump out of the chariot and surrender to the Wu, I'm afraid the Wu will not dare to accept them."

Yilhang asked again:
"What about forcing guests to shovel the tide?"

"Let the prefect of Jiaying come forward and call on the Hakka warriors to march east to cooperate with the officers and soldiers to kill the Chaozhou people. Chaozhou will reward them with a plain. From now on, they are no longer guests, but hosts."

"There seems to be no major conflict between the Hakka and Chaoshan people. Will they obey the government?"

"Let's give it a try. Even if the Hakka people don't obey, the government won't suffer any loss. It can also eliminate some of the negative impact caused by General Ma's massacre of the Hakka people in southern Jiangxi."

……

Yilhang was speechless for a long time.

I thought to myself, the person in front of me is Jia Xu.

Provoke a bloody fight among all parties.

If they take the bait, the government can take advantage of the situation and use one to attack another. If they don't take the bait, there will be no loss either.

Seeing Yilhang silent, he left.

Wu Bingjian continued to look through the account books, feeling excited.

He wanted to stand on the top of Yuexiu Mountain and shout:

"In ancient times, there was Wu Zixu. Today, there is Wu Bingjian!"

"Guangdong has wronged my Wu family. I, Wu Bingjian, must seek justice. Kill. The more the better."

……

Planning is actually simple.

Breaking off is the hardest thing.

Strategists only come up with strategies, but the actual situation changes rapidly and people may not always follow the strategies.

It is the lord who makes the decision and bears the consequences!

Yierhang returned to the lobby and firmly announced the eight-character strategy of "allying with the locals to drive away the invaders, and forcing the invaders to drive away the tide."

Now that the governor had endorsed it, everyone acted quickly.

The Guangzhou government invited surrounding gentry to issue them letters of appointment.

Every village has its own militia, every township has its own militia~
You can make weapons yourself or buy them from Guangzhou Prefecture. Anyway, the arsenal is stocked with a large number of swords, guns and weapons.

For gentry who have made great achievements and are closely tied to the court, a small number of firearms can also be sold.

……

Yilhang was quite hesitant at first.

If I allow militia training without authorization and the imperial court investigates the matter later, I'm afraid I'll have to go to Ningguta to make a snowman.

But Wu Bingjian's words dispelled his worries:

"Have you not realized yet? The imperial court's order in the south has collapsed!"

Seeing Yi Erhang's painful expression and silence, he whispered again:

"Wang Danwang, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, has been playing both sides and has been flirting with the State of Wu for a long time."

"How did you know?"

"The Fujian and Zhejiang Governor's Office bought a lot of hardwood in the Guangdong market, and then resold it to the Wu navy, making a lot of money. This is not a secret at all."

"How come I am the only one who doesn't know about such a big thing?" Yilhang screamed.

Wu Bingjian smiled bitterly:
"So many government offices in Fuzhou have remained silent. Even if you knew, you could only remain silent. Our Qing Dynasty has its own national conditions."

Yi Erhang talked to himself, holding his head:

"Alas, alas, how did the world become like this?"

He was eventually forced to accept the reality that the imperial court was beyond its reach in Guangdong and Guangxi.

……

In the twelfth lunar month,
Following the Governor-General's order, the elite troops and treasury silver from the counties surrounding Guangzhou were gradually transferred to the provincial capital, including food.
Governor Zhao Shisheng stood on the top of the city wall and looked out at the river.

Asked a very sophisticated question:

“Why is there no Siamese rice on the market in the past six months?”

No one could answer his question.

In short, the direct impact of the overseas rice shortage is the rise in rice prices.
In Guangdong and Guangxi regions, one stone of rice is sold for 3 liang.

In the north, the price of one stone of rice has reached 4 taels.

A huge food crisis is forming, and there are many factors causing the crisis:
Not importing Siamese rice into the DPRK was just one of the reasons.

The sharp drop in grain harvest in Jiangxi is also a problem.

Wu controlled tea, silk and porcelain, and the traditional prosperous commercial areas, which led to the decline of northern commerce and the gentry had nowhere to invest and make profits. So these people chose to hoard grain without any prior agreement.

Thousands of years of history,
The grain market has always been the ultimate safe haven for funds.

……

Humen Village.

December 28.
The Guangdong Navy had more than 20 large warships and 70 small boats sailing out of the water fort and along the coast. The large warships were driven by the navy soldiers, while the small boats were all driven by the boat people.

Target——Chaozhou Prefecture!

In winter, the wind is cold and the waves are huge.

The warship sailed against the wind and waves.

Guan Daguan stood on the deck with a determined look in his eyes.

He was a Han Chinese who was born into a military family and rose through the ranks in the Green Camp through military merit. He was resolute in his loyalty to the imperial court.

"General, can those lowly people be trusted?" Guan Daguan glanced at the deputy general and answered confidently:

"I gave them money, dignity, and the opportunity to go ashore. Why can't they be trusted?"

Normally, the poor Tanka people are regarded as "thieves" by the people on land. Now, he has gone against all odds to set up a living area for the Tanka people on Dahushan Island.

What kind of trust and kindness is this?

How dare the Tanka people not fight to the death?

The Dahushan Fort could kill their families and the fishing boats on which they depended for their livelihood at any time.

This is called "combining kindness and severity."

……

New Year's Eve, early morning.

The sun was shining and the snow was beginning to melt on the ground.

The last day of Qianlong's 42nd year seemed particularly long.

Outside Chaozhou City,
Various flags were erected, most of which were surnames, such as Chen, Lin, Li, Cai, Huang, Wu, Zheng, and Zhang.
The clans gather together~
If Li Yu were here, he would certainly be impressed by the strong martial virtues of the people of Guangdong and Guangxi.

Although the Wu State had an arms trade layout, it never encouraged these people to take the initiative to attack the city.

I swear to God,

The undercurrents in Guangdong were all voluntary and spontaneous actions of this group of people and had nothing to do with the State of Wu.

Based on the current interests of Wu,

Li Yu would rather these people not take the initiative to start a rebellion. Not only can they not help the army, but they will also add extra trouble.

If the Qing army was driven away, how would the Wu Kingdom treat these local forces? Grant them official titles and promises? Grant them authority?

Or should we march the troops to the gates, confiscate weapons and disband the armed forces?

Whether it is suppression or appeasement?
There will be endless troubles.

……

Lai Er sat on the sedan chair with a gloomy face.

He felt that he was being held hostage by these old guys.
The clan grandfathers were old and weak, but they had to be present for such a grand event. They had no view from the sedan chair and were not stable on horses, so it was better to ride on a sedan chair.

Huang Taigong wrapped his fur robe tightly and pointed at Chaozhou City with his dragon head staff:
"Siege!"

There was a sudden burst of gunfire.

One after another, 3-pound shells flew out of the barrel and accurately hit the battlements of the city wall.

This special model for the Wu State Army, with its hexagonal copper bore, is extremely accurate and is particularly effective in bombarding fixed targets.

But it is not very useful for bombarding enemy formations in field battles, as the round-headed hexagonal shells have a weird shape and cannot roll after landing.

The nobles were all beaming with joy:
"It's accurate. God knows."

Huang Taigong took advantage of the gap between the gunfire and whispered to Lai Er:

"Don't be angry, my dear grandson-in-law. He will never hinder your future. If the Huang family becomes powerful, it will also be a help to you in the court."

was saying,

The Qing army flags on the city wall were cut off, and black smoke rose in the city, as if someone had rebelled.

……

Everyone held their breath and stared at the city wall.

The suspension bridge creaked down~
Soon after, the city gate was opened.

The Lin clan member sitting on the sedan chair, Old Master Lin's arms were shaking with excitement:

"This is the result of the cooperation between our Lin's Company and others, so we should be credited with the first merit."

Chen Taigong next to him also rushed to show off his achievements:

"There are also members of my Chen family working in the government who have contributed."

Huang Taigong raised his dragon head staff:

"Enter the city!"

A tide of clan armed men rushed into the city gate.

The 1500 Green Camp soldiers stationed in Chaozhou Prefecture only resisted for a quarter of an hour before they laid down their arms and surrendered.

After the clan armed forces entered the city, they loudly appeased the people in Teochew.

quickly,

The people in the city are at peace.

We drink tea, set off firecrackers and celebrate the New Year as usual.

The roots of Chaoshan people are southern Fujian, and the characteristic of southern Fujian people is that they will not cheat their fellow countrymen but may cheat outsiders.

……

There was no bloodshed in Puning County.

The clan clerks in the county government directly tied up the county magistrate and the county magistrate, and then opened the city gate.

The battle in Fengshun County lasted for an hour.

finally,
Under the joint attack of Chaoshan yamen runners and clan armed forces, the Green Camp soldiers composed of outsiders were completely wiped out.

Firecrackers blasted,

Clan armed forces paraded through the streets holding flags and carrying swords and guns.

People lined the streets to watch the excitement and were having a great time.

The unity and boldness of the Chaoshan people were demonstrated to the fullest.

……

Han Jiang.

The Guangdong Navy's warships sailed up the river, full of murderous intent.

Guan Daguan pointed at the people running around on the shore and said loudly:

"The scoundrels must be going to inform the bandits, so fire your cannon~"

On the deck, the gunner operated a French cannon to fire.

The people ran for their lives, hiding from the shotgun shells.

Half an hour later,

The fleet arrived at the dock outside Chaozhou City. Several fast crab boats docked and the boat people jumped off the boats shouting, holding swords and shields.

far away,

A team of clan armed forces hastily lined up and fired muskets to prevent the Tanka armed forces from landing, but they were soon dispersed by the Qing army's ship-borne artillery.

The Qing troops landed calmly.

The clan’s armed forces stayed indoors and defended the city.

……

During the Spring Festival, the sound of gunfire is deafening.

It was not firecrackers, but real artillery bombardment.

If there really was a giant beast called "Nian" in the world, this would definitely be terrifying.

The Chaoshan clans were quite united, defending the city walls and shooting at the Qing troops attacking the city.

in the afternoon,

Someone from the Jiaying Prefecture Yamen came:
"The Banshan people are ungrateful. They rejected the Governor's kindness, saying that they had no blood feud with the Chaoshan people and could not bring themselves to attack them."

Banshan Hakka refers specifically to the Hakka people who live halfway up the mountain and on the edge of the Chaoshan people’s settlement.

The Governor's strategy of "forcing the guests to clear the tide" seems to have failed.

Wu Bingjian had a deep understanding of human nature and was well versed in business, but he overlooked a key point.

The Hakka people make their living from agriculture.

The Chaoshan people mainly rely on trade.

The trajectory of Chaozhou merchants in a year is very clear.
They first went north to sell Chaobai (white sugar made from sugarcane juice), Chaolan (blue dye used in dyeing houses), and Chaoyan (a kind of tobacco specially used for smoking water pipes).

Later he went south to Qiongzhou Prefecture and Leizhou Prefecture to sell Jiangnan cotton cloth.

Even if the Hakka people get such a trendy job, they can’t hold on to it.

What's more, Teochew people are not easy to mess with.

……

and also,

Although Chaozhou Prefecture has a large plain, it is close to the sea and is affected by typhoons, causing serious seawater backflow.

There are many saline-alkali lands and few good farmlands. Agriculture is not prosperous.
Therefore, Chaoshan people, like Hakka people, rely on rice shipped from Jiangxi for their food.

Jiaying Prefecture is located right in the middle of this trade route of "Chaozhou salt (money) for Jiangxi rice", and the long-term complementary and mutually supportive relationship has led to good relations between the two places.

This is exactly what the saying goes:

There is rarely hatred without reason in the world. Behind hatred are inseparable interests.
The person who cuts off your livelihood is often the one who is familiar with your financial path.

……

Guan Daguan looked at the flags on the city wall and sneered:
"The officers and soldiers used sampans as vehicles and eliminated the bandits' families one village at a time according to the surnames on the flags."

"Sir, shall we let the navy carry out the execution?"

"No, let the Tanka Battalion go. Tell them that the money earned from the village excavation will be divided equally between the Tanka Battalion, the navy, and the imperial court. If they perform well, I can even ask the governor to allocate a piece of land near the Han River for them to live in for generations."

"Whoo."

A naval guerrilla shouted loudly to the Tanka Camp:

"My Lord Admiral, I want to ask you, do you want to drift on the sea for the rest of your life? Or do you want to go ashore and get a piece of land?"

The boat people were stunned.
A young man shouted back:

"Sir, of course we want to go ashore, we dream about it, but every piece of land in the world has an owner. We are recognized by the government as pariahs and have no right to go ashore."

Guerrilla laughed:

"Serve well. After we defeat the Wu bandits, the Governor will allocate a county on the coast for you to live in for generations, and will also exempt you from the status of slaves."

"Everyone in the Tanka Camp, listen up! Go ashore and annihilate the village!"

……

(End of this chapter)