The disciples of the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty were good at riding and shooting. They were good at using strong bows and horses on land. They were good at attacking cities and plundering territory. However, water warfare, especially sea warfare, was beyond their capabilities. Especially on the southeast coast, the Zheng family had
The strong strength of the Qing Dynasty, as well as the defeat of several naval battles, made the Qing government shudder, and they resorted to the tyranny of cutting off the connections between the rebels and the land residents at any cost - coastal border relocation.
As for the impact of large-scale coastal relocation, the Qing government also had estimates and expectations, and then adopted a more short-sighted and arrogant policy, first targeting the Zheng family's surrender of troops and generals.
"The officers and soldiers were urged to surrender one by one and allocated to other provinces for reclamation. The officers and soldiers and soldiers from other towns were given food and stationed in Zhejiang, Jiangnan, Jiangxi, Huguang, Henan, Shandong and Shanxi provinces to cultivate wasteland and provide them with cattle breeds.
They will be exempted from rent and taxes for six years. The generals may supervise the reclamation, or be assigned to serve in the governor, governor, or admiral yamen, and the civil servants can be candidates for the ministry."
The surrendered officers and soldiers of the Zheng family were sent to other provinces to cultivate wasteland and farmland in order to worry that they would defect again. By placing them in various provinces, they could spread their strength and eliminate hidden dangers. Since the Qing government wanted to solve the problem of the Zheng family with a blockade strategy of strengthening the walls and clearing the fields,
The officers and soldiers of the Zheng family who had surrendered should have been treated kindly, so that those who surrendered would feel at ease, and those who had not surrendered would be tempted, which would be conducive to recruiting. However, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty did the opposite out of fear of the sea and precaution against the Han people.
The result will be that those who have surrendered will become disheartened and those who have not surrendered will become disheartened.
This decision of the Qing government was like a bolt from the blue to the vast number of surrendered officers and soldiers who were mostly from Fujian and were nostalgic for their homeland. As a result, some took the risk and plotted to defect to the Zheng family; some absconded and hid in various places; and some tried every means possible.
The number of family members was concealed in the hope that some family members could escape and emigrate. In order to stay in Fujian, some defecting officers and soldiers adopted the method of substituting others for support and replacing them with the common people.
For ordinary Zheng officers and soldiers, an important reason for surrendering to the Qing Dynasty was that they could not bear the pain of homesickness. No one wanted to leave their hometown with their families and be escorted to a different place to reclaim wasteland after surrendering to the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, the Qing government's wrong move will become a problem for the Zheng Group
The negative teaching materials used to stabilize the morale of the military made the Qing court's recruitment strategy look very generous on the surface, but it was difficult for it to be effective anymore.
Zhong Rui, a naval guerrilla under Shi Lang's command, was originally a member of the Zheng army who surrendered to the Qing Dynasty. The Qing government's relocation of borders along the coast had already caused dissatisfaction with him. He also saw that the surrendered officers and soldiers would be moved to other provinces to reclaim wasteland, so he secretly discussed with Chen Sheng, the Chinese military garrison.
Taking advantage of the opportunity of patrolling the port, he escaped with a few confidants to Guangdong and surrendered to the Ming army. Speaking of the inside story, this was also a great achievement of the Intelligence Bureau, and it was the first case of successfully instigating the surrender of an enemy general.
A good horse never turns back. Zhong Rui and Chen Sheng surrendered to the Qing Dynasty from the Zheng family. If they had a choice, they naturally did not want to go back. In other words, as the Ming army in the southwest became increasingly powerful, the attraction for Qing generals to surrender was also greater than before.
The largest force in the southeast - the Zheng family. After all, the southwest is Zhengshuo and orthodox, and the family-style management of the Zheng Group often cannot give more room for generals with foreign surnames to display.
Instigating rebellion against Zhong Rui and Chen Sheng is only the first step in the Intelligence Bureau's plan. Zhu Yongxing has already reminded him before that as long as he digs out soldiers and generals from Shi Lang's men, it will be victory. There is no need to ask them to do anything to assassinate Shi Lang and surrender the city.
major events.
The rulers of the Qing court, who were not familiar with the situation at sea, always regarded sea waves as a fearful road. They did not dare to talk about naval battles lightly, and they were always worried about the naval force composed of Zheng's generals. Especially the four ministers Gu Ming, who favored Manchus and despised Hans, were in charge of the government.
During this period, the confidence in the annihilation of the Zheng Group by force was severely shaken. The navy, which was mainly composed of soldiers and generals of the Zheng family, became increasingly suspicious. In history, the navy was disbanded and the Jin Dynasty was planned to recover.
Shi Lang stayed in the capital for more than ten years.
Therefore, as long as Zhong Rui and Chen Sheng return successfully, in the subsequent campaign, fake letters and rumors will give the Qing court the impression that Shi Lang is an old relative of the Zheng family, cherishing old feelings, and cannot escape the suspicion of being a thief.
Furthermore, it can be imagined that Shi Langzheng devoted himself to forbearance and planned a big plan.
Based on the suspicion and precautions of the Qing rulers against the Han people, Zhu Yongxing believed that Shi Lang would not be able to escape this disaster. If he went to the capital to prove his innocence, it would be impossible for him to come back to command the navy. What's more, at present, the relationship between the Zheng family and the
The Ming navy was working together, and Shi Lang's chances of proving his loyalty with a victory at sea were slim.
Defeating Shi Lang in a naval battle is naturally a good thing, even if it fails. Using rumors and suspicions to prevent him from being reused, or even being imprisoned and killed, is another insurance. There are two tactics, soft and hard, no matter which one works. For the Qing army in Fujian
For Zhu Yongxing, a thorn in the navy's side, it was enough to breathe a sigh of relief.
This is a happy event. Zhu Yongxing has decided to treat Zhong Rui and Chen Sheng favorably. The purpose is to use this living example to point out a way out for the Zheng officers and soldiers who surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, and to absorb a large number of Zheng's armed forces after the civil strife in the future.
Be prepared.
What made Zhu Yongxing feel complicated was the full-scale launch of the Jiangnan memorial case. Logically speaking, the enemy should resolutely oppose what he did and work hard to stop it, but Zhu Yongxing felt that it was not that simple.
After the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, more stringent examinations were implemented in the Jiangnan area than in the Ming Dynasty. All qualified officials were required to pass the examination with ten points, and those who fell short of the quota would be punished. However, many Jiangnan gentry still relied on their power to communicate with the government and bribed people to buy books.
Officials often cheat and default on money and food, often leading to hundreds of thousands of arrears.
In order to suppress the privileges of the Jin gentry and subdue the Jiangnan landlords, the Qing government created a memorial case under the pretext of grain shortage. At first, the case was limited to Wuxi and Jiading counties. By the summer of 1800, it was widespread in four prefectures and one county.
Regardless of whether they are big officials or not, and regardless of how much they owe, the current gentry will be deposed according to their names. Scholars, scholars, scholars, and Jinshi. Anyone who has not finished their money and food will be deposed. The current official will be demoted by two levels.
A total of more than 13,000 people were deposed. Many of them were arrested and sent to the Ministry of Punishment for discussion.
In Zhu Yongxing's view, by attacking the power of the Jiangnan gentry and canceling their privileged status, the Qing government was doing something it wanted to do but had not done yet. But from another perspective, the Qing government was trying to collect money and food and increase military spending to support the war.
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How should we react? Should we support the Jiangnan gentry who were deposed, whipped, and dishonored, and wait until Jiangnan is liberated to give them reasons to refuse to hand over, making it difficult for the government to collect money and grain? Or should we sit back and ignore it?
, allowing the Qing court to deal a heavy blow to the Jiangnan scholars and collect all the arrears of money and grain.
Zhu Yongxing thought for a long time and could not make a decision immediately. At the same time, he still had doubts in his mind. He did not know how the Qing government defined the term "country squire", which made it even harder to draw casual conclusions.