Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 403 Have you ever been to a granary?

I have to say that Luo Luohun's words make a lot of sense.

After two major defeats, the trend of Dorgon's monopoly was interrupted, and the power flow within the Qing court gradually showed a tendency towards the kings discussing politics.

The so-called "kings' council" refers to the compromises Nurhaci made to various tribes and banners when he lacked strength.

Although such a system had become a mere formality in the later period of his rule, it played a role again in the middle and early period of Huang Taiji's reign.

Of course, Huang Taiji is not Mr. Rao’s grandson.

After overcoming the initial instability at the beginning of his reign, he quickly used his advantage as the Great Khan to purge several other brothers who were capable of threatening his position.

By the last few years, no one in the Qing court dared to openly oppose it.

But then again, this situation only shows that various forces are dormant due to Huang Taiji's personal ability, and it does not mean that the imperial power occupies a certain position in the power structure of the Qing court.

Take old Daishan for example. After he realized that he could not compete with Huang Taiji, he decisively chose to retreat while the situation was at its peak. In return, he received Huang Taiji's trust in his children and grandchildren.

Not only did he never mention anything about state affairs, but there were also several reports that he was critically ill. It seemed that this powerful old prince had lost all his spirit and threat.

If the situation continues to develop in this way, the power of Huang Taiji's faction will inevitably increase gradually over time, and the so-called kings' political affairs will only become a legend among the old people.

But Daishan's behavior was ultimately forced upon him. After Huang Taiji passed away, this old fox immediately used his experience and insidiousness to deal a fatal blow to the Qing court's imperial power.

At that time, Haoge had grown into a fully-fledged official after years of careful cultivation by Huang Taiji. Not only was he deeply involved in the government affairs due to his age, he also had the support of the two blues and part of the two yellows.

Under normal circumstances, Hauge, who possesses such qualifications, would be considered the best candidate to inherit the throne, and even if Dorgon jumped out to compete for the throne, it would not necessarily change the final result.

But even in such a situation, old Daishan supported a tiny kid under the guise of bridging the differences.

In the end, the powerful Hauge was forced to accept this result, while the weaker Dorgon became the regent of the Qing Dynasty.

Do not underestimate this move. Not only did it make the two yellow flags' support for Hauge no longer firm, it also gave Dorgon room for compromise.

As a result, the forces supporting Hauge were instantly at a disadvantage, and Fulin's succession became the popular choice.

When the situation reached this point, the power structure within the Qing court naturally became the same as when Huang Taiji had just become the Khan, when all the kings discussed things together.

In the original history, although this situation would fluctuate due to various reasons, the princes of each banner had a say in the government for a long time.

But in the present
"If Haoge is defeated miserably, then the situation in our dynasty will change from a three-way confrontation to a two-way confrontation. No matter which one of us, Mafa or Prince Rui, wins, our dynasty will be unprecedentedly unified. Although Your Majesty has won at the moment, in the long run you have created a powerful enemy for yourself."

Luo Luo spoke eloquently for a long time, and only after an incense stick of time did he put forward his conclusion. After hearing his words, Zhu Cilang did not respond, but instead changed the subject.

"Hauge went to rescue Hanzhong?"

"Yes."

When Luo Luohun heard the words, his expression changed several times. After thinking for a while, he responded in a deep voice.

If it were according to his true feelings, he would not be willing to say such soft words to the Emperor Ming, but the Ming army was not a bandit like Zhang Xianzhong after all. Under their artillery bombardment, it was uncertain whether Qipan Pass could hold out for long.

Therefore, he came up with the idea of ​​peeling off and crushing all the powerful forces, in order to make the Emperor Ming give up the pursuit out of fear of the consequences.

In Luo Luohun's opinion, since the Ming Emperor was able to manage the Ming court, which was plagued by internal strife, to this level, he must have been good at political struggles.

As long as you reveal certain information, the other party will definitely choose to let the enemy's infighting continue.

But who would have thought that the other party was like a military general, not caring about the possible changes in the situation, but instead showed a certain interest in Hauge's whereabouts.

This made him feel quite disillusioned.

"Do you think we can stop me if we work together?"

Just when Luo Luohun was lamenting that the Ming Emperor was not worthy of his reputation, Zhu Cilang's voice came again. After confirming from the other party's expression that he had not heard wrong, he suddenly felt a sense of unreality in his heart.

"Your Majesty, do you think that you can defeat my Eight Banners Army just by taking advantage of the terrain and winning twice?"

"Of course we can't beat them now."

After saying this with a smile, Luo Luohun waited for Zhu Cilang's answer with great interest. However, when he was about to use his prepared words to regain the initiative in the conversation, the words of the Emperor Ming were beyond his expectations.

According to common sense, no matter whether he could win or not, as the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he should not encourage others and destroy his own prestige. But now the Emperor of Ming Dynasty admitted the fact that he could not defeat the Tartars without any emotional fluctuation, which made Luo Luohun at a loss as to how to respond for a while.

"There's nothing to hide. The three victories were won by some tricks. They have no meaning other than to show how powerful I am."

Shameless.

This was the only thought that came to Luo Luohun's mind after listening to Zhu Cilang's words. However, facing the reality before his eyes, this thought only lasted for a moment before disappearing without a trace.

Isn't it just taking shortcuts?

But if it were so easy for me to take it, why didn’t Chongzhen take it? Why didn’t Hongguang take it?

Did they have to wait until the country was on the verge of collapse and the family was on the verge of ruin before this seventeen or eighteen-year-old "prince" could take the throne?
Thinking of this, Luo Luohun was extremely reluctant to admit it, but in his heart he had to acknowledge the Emperor Ming's boasting.

But how could Zhu Cilang be such a boring person? Without waiting for the other party to respond, he continued: "But you Jurchens only have 800,000 or 900,000 people at most. Even if I fight ten to one, I'm afraid you won't be able to resist for long."

"Your Majesty, you are joking. If that is the case, how can we, the Manchus, enter Beijing?"

"Well, if that's the case, then there's nothing more to say. Once the army is organized, we'll see for ourselves."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Cilang turned his horse's head. Luo Luohun was stunned when he saw this scene.

In his opinion, the words had already been said to that extent, even a reckless man like Hauge would be able to understand the interests involved, but now
"Your Majesty, you."

Before Luo Luohun could say anything else, Zhu Cilang had already run a long way away. In this situation, even if he had a thousand words to say, he could only swallow them down and then went towards the interior unwillingly.

Zhu Cilang was not a reckless man, and he agreed with Luo Luohun's words. However, his vision was different from Luo Luohun's, and his standards for defining good and bad were also very different.

In Luo Luohun's view, a Qing Dynasty that has completed the centralization of power will naturally pose a huge threat to the Ming Dynasty. However, in Zhu Cilang's view, time is on his side. As long as his various measures in domestic affairs are effective, the Manchus are unlikely to be a match for the Ming Dynasty even if everyone is a soldier.

After all, his understanding of national strength far exceeds the current level, and he would not simply think that having a strong army can do anything.

Now that he had already confirmed certain information from the other party, there was no need to waste any more words with a mere prince.

"Meichun."

"His Majesty."

"Did the rear army bring any small artillery?"

As soon as he saw the general leading the troops, Zhu Cilang asked a question without warning. After he responded yes, a military order came out of his mouth.

"Don't wait for the big guns, just use the small cannons to attack."

"Your Majesty, the cannon may not be powerful enough and consumes a lot of energy."

Mei Chun was used to living a tight life, so when Zhu Cilang's military order was issued, his first reaction was that the cost was too high and not cost-effective.

Normally speaking, there was nothing wrong with his idea. After all, everything the rear army needed was shipped from the Yingtian factory, so naturally they had to choose a more efficient method.

However, Zhu Cilang had just found out the situation in Hanzhong from Luo Luohun. How to get out of Jinniu Road as quickly as possible was the issue that concerned him most. Compared with this, spending a little more money was naturally nothing.

"It's okay, pull them all up. Haoge has already returned to Hanzhong, and we can't dawdle here."

"The last general takes command!"

Since Zhu Cilang said so, speed became Mei Chun's only pursuit. He then obeyed the order and left, but Zhu Cilang couldn't help but start calculating.

Qipan Pass is about 150 miles away from the northern entrance of Jinniu Road, and after this pass there are Guru Pass and Yangping Pass that need to be passed.

At this time, he didn't know the specific conditions of these two passes, but considering that there have been few foreign enemies here for so many years, he thought that these two passes were in a state of disrepair.

But at this time Hauge had already led his troops back north. Even if he only spent one or two days at each checkpoint, it would take him six or seven days in total to reach Hanzhong.

Under such circumstances, relying solely on Li Dingguo.
Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang couldn't help but reveal a trace of worry on his face, and the atmosphere around him became solemn.

However, his understanding of the situation in Hanzhong was only based on some guesses, so how could he know the real situation there?

"General Li, although the Eighth King died in battle, it was a pity that he was so talented, but at least we still have a chance to take revenge, but we must not be too depressed."

Looking at Li Dingguo whose eyes were very red and swollen, Sun Shoufa hesitated for a moment and then tried to persuade him.

That day, their food and fodder were about to be delivered to Hanzhong City, and right after that they received urgent mail from Sichuan.

The urgent letter gave a general description of the final outcome of the war between the Western and Qing sides, but at the end it explained that Liu Wenxiu and other generals had already surrendered to the Ming Dynasty.

After receiving the news, Sun Shoufa went to Hanzhong in person as soon as possible to discuss the matter in detail with Li Dingguo.

But to his surprise, even though the soldiers who went to negotiate had clearly informed the other party of the situation in Dashi, Li Dingguo still refused the request for a meeting.

Faced with this situation, Sun Shoufa was both anxious and angry.

What was urgent was that Hauge's main force had already embarked on the return journey. If they could not capture the granary during this period, they would not only fail to cut off the Tartars' retreat route, but would also most likely lose themselves.

As for the gas
The letter made it very clear that a letter written by Liu Wenxiu himself was also sent to Li Dingguo at the same time. Since they had received it, the other party must have known that the generals had already returned to the Ming Dynasty.

But even under such circumstances, the other party actually refused to meet. How could there be any other possibility other than that Li Dingguo had other plans?
After figuring this out, Sun Shoufa naturally had to discuss it with He Zhen.

Although according to His Majesty's military order, they had sufficient reasons to abandon the plan to capture Hanzhong, but after some consideration, the two men still decided to fight to the death.

However, they did not fully understand Li Dingguo, and their judgment of his actions was inevitably wrong.

When the entire army was marching out of Hanzhong City in a mighty force, Sun and He received a rather surprising news.

Li Dingguo was so sad that he even fainted after crying several times. When he saw Sun and He leading their troops to attack him, he realized that there was a misunderstanding between him and the Ming army.

"General Sun, please don't be surprised. Wenxiu and Kewang have already joined the Ming Dynasty. You are my friends, not my enemies. If the Ming Emperor can help me get revenge, Dingguo will be willing to serve me like a slave."

"General Li, you are too kind. His Majesty has always valued talents. If you could return to the Ming Dynasty, His Majesty would be very happy. There would be no need to treat you like a slave."

Although Li Dingguo was talking eloquently at this time, his voice was completely weak. After seeing his performance, He Zhen couldn't help but doubt her own judgment.

After all, he had surrendered to the Tartars. If the Qing court had not divided and disintegrated his troops, He Zhen might have been buried in the underworld with those surrendered generals who died on the Jinniu Road.

With such an experience, he would naturally put profit first, and would naturally be suspicious of Li Dingguo, who cried so much that he fainted several times because of Zhang Xianzhong's death.

But then again, Li Dingguo looked pale at this moment, as if he had not recovered from a serious illness. He could only think about this in secret. When Sun and Li were talking, he also interrupted them.

"When I heard the news of King Chong's death, I was also very sad, but the dead are gone and the living are like this. We still have to avenge the Eighth King as our top priority."

Li Dingguo knew something about He Zhen's past. After all, when they first occupied central Sichuan, they had fought with He Zhen several times in order to seize Hanzhong.

However, Li Dingguo didn't know whether his mind was not working well due to excessive grief, or he didn't know what attitude to adopt after seeing He Zhen. After He Zhen finished speaking, he said nothing and just stared at He Zhen, whose expression was becoming increasingly embarrassed.

"General Li, I, He, surrendered to the Tartars because I had nowhere else to go. Now, haven't I surrendered to the Ming Dynasty?"

Seeing the other party like this, He Zhen wanted to make a few excuses, but to his surprise, after he finished speaking, Li Dingguo did not dwell on it, but asked directly.

"Have you ever been to the Hanzhong granary?"

(End of this chapter)