I was living at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and I dealt a brutal blow to the Eight Banners!

Before the Qing army could send anyone to Fuzhou City, Zhang Jingchuan had already sent a Qing prisoner back to the Qing army camp with a message.

Dai Shan was a seasoned warrior, and it was not easy to negotiate with him. Therefore, Zhang Jingchuan specifically asked Tong Puhan to handle the negotiations.

In fact, after learning Luo Luohun's true identity, Zhang Jingchuan suddenly realized a problem: his development was too rapid, far exceeding the norm.

Last July, he was just a lowly soldier. With the help of the system, in less than a year, he had already been promoted to general and ennobled, commanding tens of thousands of soldiers. He not only had his own territory but also his own personal navy.

Such a growth rate can no longer be described as rocket-like.

His own appearance has already changed the political landscape of Liaodong, and not only that, he is also disrupting the political balance in Liaodong.

Once the political balance in Liaodong is broken, it will not be good for Zhang Jingchuan. At least for Zhang Jingchuan now, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages, because it is precisely because of the strong rise of the Qing army that Zhang Jingchuan has room to survive.

If he were to kill Luo Luohun, Daishan, grieving the loss of his son, would surely attack him like a madman. Even if he defeated Daishan, the result would be that Huang Taiji would abandon his attempt to enter the pass and lead his troops back to reinforce it.

With Zhang Jingchuan's current force of over 40,000 men, it would be difficult to deal with Huang Taiji's 100,000 Qing troops. Even if he could withstand the pressure, he would inevitably suffer heavy losses, which would seriously hinder his development in Liaodong and Guam.

Once the Ming court has quelled the uprisings in various parts of Shaanxi, it will turn its attention to Liaodong. At that time, the Qing army will be weak and move north, and Zhang Jingchuan will have to hand over the territory he has worked so hard to conquer.

Given the Ming court's usual practices, his fate would most likely be to relinquish his military power in Liaodong, then be falsely accused and sent back to the capital.

Yuan Chonghuan serves as a cautionary tale for himself.

Therefore,

Luo Luohun cannot die by his own hand. Not only can he not die by his own hand, but he must also send Dai Shan back safely.

The proverb "When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked" was something Sima Yi understood more than a thousand years ago. Otherwise, Zhuge Liang's Empty City Stratagem would have truly become a lost art, and Sima Yi would not have had the opportunity to live to the day he usurped the Cao family's rule.

Unless he has 100,000 iron cavalry right now and pushes his way through, by the time the Ming court reacts, the entire Liaodong region will already belong to Zhang Jingchuan.

At that time, he will have the power to obey orders but not proclamations. Even if he does not obey orders or proclamations, the court will be unable to do anything about it.

Therefore, he needs to complete the system's task of "commanding 100,000 iron cavalry" as soon as possible, otherwise he will really be unable to make any real use of his abilities here.

……

The next morning,

Tong Puhan arrived at the city of Fuzhou alone on horseback.

Wu Guozhong first took Tong Puhan to see Luo Luohun, who was being well taken care of in the prison cell. After seeing that Luo Luohun was unharmed, he was taken to the military council hall in the north gate tower.

As soon as Tong Puhan entered, he frowned and covered his nose.

The smell of secondhand smoke is still somewhat unacceptable to non-smokers.

"Oh, Manager Tong is here!" Zhang Jingchuan put down the geomantic map of the Guanning-Jin area, stood up and went to greet him warmly.

Since the other party disliked secondhand smoke, Zhang Jingchuan simply took Tong Puhan to the city wall, where they strolled and discussed business.

Faced with Zhang Jingchuan's enthusiasm, Tong Puhan felt no joy whatsoever; instead, his expression turned somewhat serious. He knew that unsolicited kindness was always followed by ulterior motives, and that Zhang's enthusiasm was likely to be followed by exorbitant demands.

Tong Puhan had come with a mission, so he didn't have the leisure to exchange pleasantries with Zhang Jingchuan. He went straight to the point: "Uncle Zhang, please name your price. As long as it's not too outrageous, we can still negotiate."

Zhang Jingchuan grinned. Tong Puhan was indeed from a merchant family. He set a framework for himself as soon as he arrived. No wonder Huang Taiji designated the Tong family as imperial merchants. The legacy of their ancestors was one aspect, but their own abilities were the most important.

“Heh,” Zhang Jingchuan sneered, “You and I both know Luo Luohun’s identity. Whatever amount you think is appropriate, as long as it’s about right, I’ll give him the man.”

Tong Puhan stopped, turned around, held up one finger, and said, "Within one year, Prince Li will not lead his army south!"

Zhang Jingchuan chuckled and said, "That works, but Luo Luo has to leave one leg behind!"

As he spoke, Zhang Jingchuan also held up one finger.

Tong Puhan's face darkened, and he said with a hint of anger, "Master Zhang, are you joking?"

"You were the one who joked first!" Zhang Jingchuan said with a smile.

Tong Puhan frowned, staring intently at Zhang Jingchuan, without saying a word.

"Alright," Zhang Jingchuan said coldly, "We're all seasoned foxes, so don't try to play these old tricks on me!"

Although Tong Puhan didn't know what Liaozhai was, he roughly understood Zhang Jingchuan's meaning and immediately said, "Lord Zhang, please just say what you want!"

"One hundred thousand taels of silver and ten thousand warhorses!"

"Why don't you just rob it?!" Tong Puhan exclaimed in shock.

"You're right, I am indeed robbing you!" Zhang Jingchuan said in a deep voice, "If you think that a banner lord of the Bordered Red Banner, a prince of the Prince Li family, is not worth this price, you are free not to exchange him!"

Then I will send his body to the capital; I believe His Majesty and the court officials will be happy for a while.”

“Your Ming Dynasty court can’t give you 100,000 taels of silver and 10,000 warhorses!” Tong Puhan said in a deep voice.

"You can't buy my happiness with a thousand pieces of gold!" Zhang Jingchuan smiled happily.

Tong Puhan took a deep breath and then sighed, "I can think of a way to get 100,000 taels of silver, but as for 10,000 warhorses, you should know in your heart that Prince Li will not agree!"

Zhang Jingchuan walked to the wall and looked at the Qing army camp in the distance. He said leisurely, "I remember that your Tong family and Prince Li's lineage are related by marriage, right? If this backer falls, your Tong family will be a very tempting piece of meat!"

At this moment, Tong Puhan's eyes narrowed slightly, his lips twitched, and his face turned deathly pale.

The Tong family's current status is entirely due to the affection between his father, Tong Yangxing, and Nurhaci. However, he knew in his heart that the so-called legacy could not ultimately provide the Tong family with lasting protection.

This is why the father married his sister to Luo Luohun. Prince Li and Huang Taiji had a deep brotherly bond. As long as Huang Taiji was still in power, Prince Li would not fall. As long as Prince Li was not in power, the Tong family could continue to receive the protection of Prince Li's lineage.

Huang Taiji is currently seriously ill and may pass away at any time.

If Prince Li were to lose Luo Luohun and the Bordered Red Banner, there would be huge uncertainties for Prince Li's lineage once a new emperor ascends the throne. Such uncertainties are definitely not something the Tong family wants to see.

As Zhang Jingchuan said, the Tong family is a piece of fat meat. The disgraced Prince Li would not offend the new emperor or his political enemies for such a piece of fat meat. On the contrary, he might even give the Tong family away as a gift in exchange for his own safety.

Therefore,

Prince Li must not fall, the position of the banner lord of the Bordered Red Banner must not change hands, and Luo Luohun must not die!

Thinking of this, Tong Puhan couldn't help but smile bitterly, because he suddenly realized that from the very beginning, he... no, the entire Tong family had been controlled by Zhang Jingchuan.

"Ten thousand warhorses must be brought from Mongolia. The number is too large to be easily concealed. Five thousand horses will be delivered here in five batches within a year!" Tong Puhan compromised.

Zhang Jingchuan shook his head.

He opened his mouth and said:

"Ten thousand warhorses, not one less, must be delivered to Zhongqian Suo in Guangning. I don't care how many batches you send them, they must all be delivered within three months. After I receive the warhorses, you can come and collect the men!"

After saying this, Zhang Jingchuan turned and walked towards the city gate tower, proclaiming loudly:

"see a visitor out!"

……