Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 221 Are you helpless? What a coincidence, I am helpless too.

The victory in the Battle of Wuhu was actually largely due to luck.

If Tulai and Tunqi had not already made up their minds to avoid being involved in the fight among the kings by defilement of themselves, even if the outcome of that battle would not have changed in the end, the price the Ming army would have had to pay would not have been what it is now.

However, their efforts were not in vain.

When they led the remaining troops back to Zhenjiang, what awaited them was not torture about how they were defeated, but Duoduo's almost attentive reception.

just
"You two did your best in the Wuhu battle, but the surrendered troops were the first to flee. This is not your fault."

At the welcoming banquet specially set up for the two of them, Duoduo blurted out these words after three rounds of drinks.

Hearing this, Tunqi and Tulai, who had been tense for a long time, suddenly relaxed, and even Duoduo's young face seemed much friendlier.

As the saying goes, success depends on human efforts, but sometimes things don't always go as planned.

Although they had come up with an impossible way to avoid being dragged into the fight between the kings, in the final analysis, what the final outcome would be still depended on the ideas of those nobles above.

Now that Duoduo is so kind, they have naturally passed this hurdle. Whether they can make their respective masters think that they have really tried their best depends on their own abilities.

To be honest, when Duoduo first heard the news that the two of them defeated all the surrendered troops in one battle, he was indeed a little angry.

This not only gave his battle in the south of the Yangtze River, which was initially smooth but then frustrated, an extremely failed ending, but also added considerable difficulty to his second march southward that he was planning.

You should know that the surrendered troops in Tunqi's hands were originally Huang Degong's troops. Although the number of this group of people is small, their combat power is among the best among the four towns in Jiangbei.

If we can successfully bring them back to Jiangbei, they will become the seeds of a strong army as long as they are trained and gathered.

But now?

Not only did Tunqi and Tulai suffer heavy casualties despite the strong defense of Wuhu, but Cao Hu's army was also defeated. If they had not successfully brought back their bannermen, Duoduo would have even thought of killing them.

But as long as one is a human being, he or she will have public and private desires.

In the final analysis, the above thoughts were just a subconscious reaction to public interests. When his selfish desires caused by the huge pressure from the court took effect, his perspective on the problem was no longer the same.

The battle of Jiangnan was a defeat, and not only did they lose almost all the surrendered troops, but also Nikan and several of his Karas were killed.

But in the final analysis, this was just an ordinary defeat. Jiangnan is densely covered with waterways and our side was completely unprepared. Under such circumstances, who could defeat the Ming army in Jiangnan?

If we think in this way, doesn’t the failure of Tulai and Tunqi just prove this point?
After realizing this, Duoduo, who was originally full of murderous intent, not only changed his attitude when he saw the two men, but also prepared a grand welcoming banquet for them, as if they were the winners of the Wuhu battle.

"I am a defeated general, and I am deeply grateful to the prince for not killing me. I will wait. I will wait."

What does it mean to return a favor?

This is called returning a favor.

No matter what evil intentions the two sides had, when Duoduo wiped out the guilt of their defeat with just one word, they naturally responded with gratitude.

However, Duoduo's rank is much higher than theirs, and his starting point for thinking about problems is much more profound than that of ordinary generals.

When the two were reacting with an indescribable emotion, they were stunned by Duoduo's words.

"What do you mean by grace of not killing? Although you two have lost many soldiers and generals, it is all because I underestimated the enemy. When we return to the court, I will use my title as a guarantee and will not let you two be blamed."

Your kindness is as heavy as a mountain!

Duoduo was one of the most powerful people in the Qing Dynasty. He was able to use his royal title to protect two military generals who were not from his faction. How could this not be a great favor?

But what would Tunqi’s master Haoge and Tulai’s master the little emperor think?
After a defeat in Jiangnan, Duoduo would actually give up the throne to save you?!

In this situation, do you still dare to say that the attack on the Ming army in Wuhu was to flatter Duoduo instead of helping him to exonerate himself?
"Your Majesty! Why is it so? Why is it so?!"

Tulai's reaction was faster after all. Just a moment after hearing the words, he pleaded to Duoduo in panic. Although Tunqi's reaction was slower, when he sensed the fear emanating from his partner, he realized that he was afraid of falling into a bottomless pit.

In this situation, he was prepared to make a final struggle with Tulai, but when he saw Duoduo's face gradually becoming gloomy, he swallowed back his words.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! I will repay you with my life!"

When the word "slave" came out of Tunqi's mouth, Tulai thought for a moment that there was something wrong with his ears. But when Duoduo's expression gradually changed from gloomy to bright at a speed visible to the naked eye, he had to admit that he was already alone.

Everyone has his own strengths and weaknesses. Tu Lai has some experience in court struggles, but how could Tun Qi be a reckless man who only knows how to fight?
He was very clear about the value of himself and Tulai, and he also knew that it was impossible for the two of them to refuse the "good intentions" of Prince Yu of the Qing Dynasty.

Under such circumstances, what other choice do they have except to join the Regent's side because of Dodo's great kindness?

Is it possible that he will really return to his former master's command and spend the rest of his life under looming suspicion?

Now that things have come to this, how could Tulai dare to reject the prince's "good intentions"?
Regret?
Probably he regretted it. After all, who would be willing to be called a traitor without receiving enough benefits?
But it is not certain to what extent the two of them regretted.

After all, Tulai had already shown goodwill to Duoduo when the generals crossed the river, and Tunqi did not get such an opportunity only because he was ostracized.

Although the two of them had cut off their retreat in an extremely passive situation at this time, Dorgon was still the real controller of the Qing Dynasty after all. Compared with him, Hauge, who only had the courage of a reckless man, and the orphan and widow were not worthy of trust.

Immediately after Tunqi expressed his gratitude, Duoduo drove a nail into the blue and yellow flags with just a few words.

"Good! Good! Good!" After shouting three times, the matter was settled for Tulai and Tunqi, but for Duoduo, there was still one most important step missing: "After this battle, you two have become friends of life and death with me. There are some things that I will not hide from you."

As soon as the words fell, the two people who were still trying to comfort themselves in their hearts immediately focused on what Duoduo was going to say next.

"After returning to the court, I will shoulder the responsibility for Jiangnan's defeat."

As soon as these words came out, not only did Tunqi and Tulai want to come out to dissuade him, but even the generals in the tent did not want their backers to suffer such a setback. Seeing the expressions of the crowd, Duoduo did not react too much, but just continued to talk to himself. "It will probably be Hong Chengchou who will lead the war in Jiangnan. I have a few words for you to remember."

Although the Qing Dynasty was not good at naval warfare, it was not difficult to send a letter to Beijing by water. During the days of waiting for Tunqi and Tulai, he had reported the battle in Jiangnan to Dorgon in detail and put forward very targeted suggestions.

Just yesterday, the reply letter arrived in Zhenjiang City, and he simply told his subordinates everything that could be said in it.

"Zhu Cilang is a great enemy of our dynasty. His threat is even greater than that of the Chuang Army and the Dashi Army. Therefore, the Regent Prince has formulated a countermeasure based on his weaknesses and has Hong Chengchou to implement it. You must not interfere with his normal military strategy, but you must be careful to prevent the emergence of people like Hu Maozhen. Do you understand?"

Duoduo's words were vague, but how many people present were stupid? It was also known that in a short while, everyone had translated this passage into something that was easy to understand.

The Regent discovered the weakness of the Crown Prince of Ming and made a grand plan based on it. However, this grand plan required giving the Han people great power. The most important task of these people was to prevent the Han people from making a rebellion.

Afterwards, Duoduo gave some explanation on various matters, but from beginning to end he never mentioned what the big plan was.

Seeing that the prince was so cautious, the generals were naturally a little more alert, but no one dared to really ask.

When everyone was satisfied with the food and wine and was somewhat tipsy, the banquet came to an end, and Duoduo's battle in the south of the Yangtze River finally came to an end with his last words.

"The entire army will withdraw to Jiangbei tomorrow!"

"Order!"

The generals had no objection to this. After all, no one wanted to stay in Zhenjiang, a place of death.

As far as the crossing of the river is concerned, it would be great to leave a springboard in the south of the Yangtze River, but if too little is left, it will not be of much use, and if too much is left, all military supplies will have to be transported from the north of the Yangtze River.

Without the advantage on water, every stone of grain transported to Zhenjiang would be destroyed by five or even ten stones of grain by the Ming navy. Zhenjiang would then become a bleeding wound, and no one knew how much more resources would be wasted.

Furthermore, the method Duoduo thought of would not require any military action in the short term, and if it were to succeed, it would not necessarily be necessary to go down this path again.

Therefore, there is no value in defending Zhenjiang any longer.

As for whether the military and navy would allow them to return to Jiangbei calmly.
Everyone understands the principle of surrounding three sides and leaving one side open, and everyone also understands the principle of fighting with one's back to the river.

When both sides have internal problems that need to be resolved urgently, who has the time to engage in a meaningless fight?

In the end, under the surveillance of Ming army scouts on the shore and boats on the water, Duoduo and his army took nearly three days to retreat to Yangzhou, but it was five days later when Zhu Cilang received the news.

Huh~~~~~~!

After secretly breathing a sigh of relief, he passed the military report to the ministers in the hall.

He was really afraid that Duoduo would gather his troops and end up in a desperate situation.

In the final analysis, he was able to achieve such a great victory in Jiangnan only by relying on the Qing army's divided forces and the advantages of the navy.

If Duoduo really had the temperament of a tyrant, Zhu Cilang would not know how to deal with him with the military force in his hands.

Fortunately, the Tartars had already put on shoes, and those shoes were carefully made of fine silk and fine textile soles. They were not as poor as when Nurhaci was about to start the rebellion, and they would not readily mobilize the entire clan to fight to the death.

The military report was circulated in the hall, and the ministers naturally sang praises of the emperor. However, with all the situations laid out before them, how could Zhu Cilang have the mind to be elated?

"We need to come up with a practical standard for defining officials who have lost their integrity, and the successors must also be strictly vetted. We must not allow those who have connections with the Tartars to take advantage of this loophole."

Yesterday, Ma Shiying and Huang Daozhou returned to Yingtian, and the rest of the officials said they were still on the way, but it was hard to say what the exact situation was.

However, Zhu Cilang did not worry too much about this matter. After all, to the people in Hangzhou, it was still unknown whether His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was inclined to go north or south, so it was necessary to send two representatives to test the waters first.

Needless to say, there was a banquet last night. Early this morning, Zhu Cilang summoned everyone to the lobby of the Ministry of War to "consult" everyone's opinions on how to deal with the officials who had lost their integrity.

The process is easy to imagine. Although there was not much disagreement among the people on how to deal with the disloyal officials, they argued fiercely over the selection of successors.

According to Ma Shiying's opinion, the central government should directly appoint the person; according to Qian Qianyi's opinion, the person should be appointed in order, and the central government should intervene only when there is a dispute.
As for Mr. Huang.
Honestly speaking, Huang Daozhou didn't think of which method would be most beneficial to his side until nearly halfway through the debate. Although he had also fought for the Zhejiang faction for a long time, he ultimately lost the initiative and felt that he could not carry the whole issue alone, so in the end he simply stood with Qian Qianyi.

This is not to say that Qian and Ma reacted faster than him, but mainly because Zhu Cilang had reached a deal with the people of Yingtian that day.

Under such circumstances, Qian Qianyi had naturally thought of a strategy early on, and Yue Qijie, as a fellow townsman of Ma Shiying, naturally also got some information.

In this case, it is understandable that Huang Daozhou's reaction was slow.

However, Mr. Huang was no fool after all. After thinking about the fact that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had summoned Liu Zongzhou to the court, he thought he understood the whole thing, and thus stood on the side of Qian Qianyi, who was also from the Donglin family.

However, the Tartars had only occupied a few prefectures and counties in Zhejiang, and the handling of disloyal officials was actually mostly done in the territory of Southern Zhili. He thought that he could exchange less benefits for the leader of the Zhejiang faction to enter the court, but this was really too simple.

Sure enough, during the debate, Zhu Cilang proposed to set up an institution called the Advisory Council. When Huang Daozhou saw that all the ministers present expressed their support, he gradually realized his own assumptions.

Deep down, Huang Daozhou was extremely unwilling to do so.

Even though the clerks and runners of the Advisory Council were only promoted to second-rate positions and their sphere of activities was strictly restricted to the county level by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, he was well aware that this represented an erosion of administrative power by the imperial power.

Of course, he also had confidence that this advisory council would become part of the civil service system in a few years, but at this time, this institution was beyond the control of the bureaucrats.

But would it be useful for him to oppose alone? And what reasons should he have for opposing?

Even if he took a step back and pretended to make a desperate remonstrance, would others think that he was obstructing Liu Zongzhou from entering the court?

You know, even though both of them are entering the court, there is a fundamental difference between being sent home with a heavy responsibility after a conversation and being entrusted with an important task after a conversation.

Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons several times, Mr. Huang finally expressed his support for the Crown Prince's wise decision along with everyone else. After getting what he wanted, Zhu Cilang turned the topic to the next extremely difficult issue.

(End of this chapter)