First, in order to stabilize their rule. The saying that Huguang is a province began in the Yuan Dynasty. The rulers of the Yuan Dynasty made Guangxi, Hainan, Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou and Guangdong the two provinces of Huguang and Zhongshu, which were directly under the jurisdiction of the central government. At that time, Huguang province was a real Huguang province, including the two lakes and Guangdong and Guangxi regions. However, in the Qing Dynasty, Huguang Province only included Hunan and Hubei provinces, and the rulers of the Qing Dynasty also divided and ruled, only retaining the name Huguang. Mainly to stabilize their own rule. In order to prevent one side from rising too much, Hunan and Hubei are divided into two provinces, which are divided and ruled by the governor and the governor respectively.

Moreover, the Qing dynasty just entered the customs, and the Nanming regime was just south of the Yangtze River. After the collapse of Nanming, some anti-Qing forces still existed. In addition, since the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the two lakes region has been the largest grain-producing region in China, and it is sold to coastal areas in addition to self-sufficiency. At that time, there was a proverb to describe its richness. Is the lake wide and ripe, and the world is full? It provides a foundation for the expansion of local power. It turns out to be true. During the reign of Kangxi, the San Francisco Rebellion severely hit the rule of the Qing government. After Kangxi pacified San Francisco, he immediately adjusted the administrative divisions of various places, which was also one reason why the Qing government divided Huguang into Hunan and Hubei.

Second, in order to facilitate management and promote economic development. Although the jurisdiction of Huguang is much smaller than that of Ming Dynasty, it is still vast. Moreover, there are many things, the establishment of multiple administrative centers is too bloated, many measures are implemented slowly, and there is a big difference between the north and the south. The policy similar to land reclamation cannot be unified, so the best way is to separate and facilitate management. The establishment of two administrative centers to divide them also reduces the probability of mutiny caused by centralized garrison, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone. In addition to facilitating government management, it is also convenient for ordinary people. For example, if a scholar goes to a provincial capital city to participate in scientific research, he doesn't have to go all the way from Wan Li.

In short, under the social and historical conditions at that time, the advantages of separating Shanghai from Guangzhou outweigh the disadvantages.