Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"Jin Yiwei did a great job!"

"Zhang Daojun has made great contributions!"

Zhu Youjian was very excited about the fact that Jinyiwei had instigated Ning Wanwo to rebel.

He was even more delighted by the execution ability shown by the Jinyiwei in this operation.

Before giving the names of Fan Wencheng, Ning Wanwo and other Han officials of the Later Jin Dynasty to the Jinyiwei, Zhu Youjian did not think that they could succeed in inciting rebellion. He just asked them to pay more attention and arrange personnel around these people.

I didn't expect that the Jinyiwei really instigated a rebellion, and it was Ning Wanwo, the person Huang Taiji currently holds the most important position.

This person's status is equivalent to Huang Taiji's personal minister.

With him by Huang Taiji's side, the Ming Dynasty knew everything that happened in the Later Jin court.

Zhu Youjian, who was worried that Jinyiwei would overuse Ning Wanwo and expose him, immediately gave the order:
"Immediately classify the news about Ning Wan and me as top secret."

"All those who know this information must be identified to the individual."

"For those who may leak secrets, they will be transferred to the capital and rewarded."

He also referred to the spy dramas and spy novels he had watched and ordered:

"After Ning finishes his work for me, you need to arrange for someone to contact me through a single line."

"Make sure anyone exposed doesn't implicate him."

"Ning Wan, my name should be sealed immediately. Call me by a code name like No. 3, Kite, or Deep Sea."

"In short, this matter must be kept strictly confidential, and ensure that all people who know about it are under the control of the Jinyiwei."

Then he looked at Zheng Shiyi and said approvingly:

"You also have a contribution in this matter, and you are awarded the hereditary title of deputy thousand households and third-class baron."

"The same goes for Zhang Daojun. Luo Yangxing was promoted to hereditary deputy captain."

In addition to being awarded for years of merit, he was also awarded a title.

This made Zheng Shiyi quite excited, knowing that his position was finally stabilized and he had regained the emperor's trust.

Previously, because the mastermind of the rebellion in the west of Beijing had not been found, the Jinyiwei was blamed. After all, the Jinyiwei was the one who spent the most money in the inner court. If they did not do their job well, the whole inner court would complain.

The rumor even reached the outer court, where some Donglin Party officials impeached him as a remnant of Tian Ergeng and wanted to remove him from his position as the head of the Imperial Guard.

Therefore, Zheng Shiyi has been trying hard to perform well during this period, and Zhang Daojun's decision to send the secret spy to take risks was also due to his urging.

Fortunately, the result was good. Not only was there no loss of spies, but an important official was also persuaded to defect.

But the reason why he got the title was not just because he instigated Ning Wanwo to rebel.

More importantly, the smallpox outbreak in Jianlu tied down the Jianlu’s military strength.

In particular, the death of Yue Tuo, the leader of the Red Banner, was the greatest achievement of the Ming Dynasty since the war in Liaodong.

Therefore, the three people who presided over this matter, Zheng Shiyi, Zhang Daojun and Luo Yangxing, were given the title.

It was just that this matter was not easy to say openly, and Zhu Youjian was not in a position to reward them for this merit. So he rewarded these people in the name of instigating Ning Wanwo to rebel.

Zheng Shiyi actually knew this, because inciting Ning Wanwo to rebel was actually part of the entire Jinyiwei plan.

If smallpox had not broken out in Shenyang, why would the top leaders of the Jianlu army go to Changning Temple to avoid smallpox?
How can their hidden spies contact Ning Wan and me?
It can be said that the entire plan is closely linked and any missing part will make it impossible to succeed.

So the reward for merit is naturally a reward for the whole thing, and the Jinyiwei who participated in it all understood this.

After issuing the rewards, Zhu Youjian felt that Ning Wanwo had great potential, especially the relationship between Huang Taiji and the three great beiles that he provided.

However, he was not good at this, and the Jinyiwei lacked such talents.

After thinking about it, Zhu Youjian called Niu Jinxing. He felt that this historical Li Zicheng's strategist might have the talent of Chen Ping.

Suitable for creating conspiracies and intrigues within a startup team to divide the internal staff.

Niu Jinxing now works in the Imperial Observatory and is an official in the inner court.

He was not very satisfied with this position because it did not look like that of a regular official.

However, the emperor thought that since he was good at astronomy, he should work in the Imperial Astronomical Observatory. He was also arranged to be Xu Guangqi's assistant in compiling the calendar, so he had no choice but to accept it.

I just hope that after the calendar is repaired, the emperor will remember his achievements.

Unexpectedly, he was summoned by the emperor and asked if he was willing to serve in the Jinyiwei:

"The Secret Service has an important mission that requires specialized personnel."

"If you can do a good job, it is not impossible to become a Privy Councilor."

"You can even be granted a title and receive overseas fiefdoms."

Niu Jinxing was moved by this and resolutely gave up his position in the Imperial Observatory:

"Your Majesty has given an order, how dare I disobey it?"

"I wonder what this important mission requires of me?"

Zhu Youjian was very satisfied with his reaction. He asked Zheng Shiyi to introduce Ning Wanwo's situation and instructed him:
"This matter is top secret. Not a single word can be disclosed to the public. When you join the Royal Guards, you will first receive confidentiality training."

"From now on, you will be the deputy director of the third department of the secret service, and you will be responsible for Ning Wanwo's line."

"While protecting this person, we are considering how to use the intelligence he provides to instigate internal strife among the Jianlu."

"If your achievements are great and your results are obvious, I will not hesitate to give you a title after pacifying Liaodong."

Niu Jinxing's heart was pounding when he heard this, and only then did he realize what an opportunity he had encountered.

If Ning Wanwo had used his intelligence to stir up disputes with the Jianlu and weakened the Eight Banners to seven or even fewer, he would have been likely to be ranked in the top ten when his merits were assessed.

By then, not to mention baron and viscount, even earl may be within reach.

This is really a great opportunity for him.

So he immediately realized the importance of Ning Wanwo and proposed to the emperor:

"The Liaodong subversion effort should be stopped immediately."

"To prevent someone from snitching and tracing the case back to Ning Wanwo."

Zhu Youjian nodded slightly, feeling that this should be the case.

Ning Wanwo's work of subversion was completed at a risky cost. If I were to take such a risk again, the possibility of failure would be very high.

So he said to Zheng Shiyi:
"The subversion work in Liaodong is temporarily suspended. Once it is confirmed to be safe, it will be restarted one by one."

"Especially Fan Wencheng, you must be cautious with this person."

"He is a descendant of Fan Zhongyan, and his great-grandfather Fan Jian was appointed Minister of War during the Jiajing period."

"The mind of a descendant of such a noble family is the most unpredictable. Don't pin your hopes on his conscience."

"Ning Wan, I am one of the few people who were caught by the Royal Guards because of my carelessness!"

Fan Wencheng and Ning Wanwo are often mentioned together, but Fan Wencheng's deeds are relatively more widely known. The most well-known one is that Fan Wencheng's wife was taken away by Duoduo, but he did not say a word.

It is not easy to persuade a person who is so good at forbearance and even disregards his family to rebel.

If you want to turn this person against the government, you must be prepared to lose spies.

Compared with this, it is much easier to persuade Ning Wanwo to rebel.

This person was born in Liaodong border area and did not have a deep understanding of officialdom. He was eager to enter the officialdom to gain Huang Taiji's appreciation, but he was impatient. In a place like the Later Jin where people lived by plundering, he proposed to formulate military laws, which was collectively opposed by the upper echelons of the Later Jin.

He also set himself up as "the style of ancient ministers", not being greedy for sex, not loving money, and being honest as the first Han official. He pointed out the phenomenon of Han officials being humiliated, was dissatisfied with the worship of Manchus and the suppression of Han, and occasionally made direct criticisms, which made Huang Taiji feel uncomfortable.

So after Fan Wencheng showed his talent, Ning Wanwo was quickly abandoned. On the eve of Huang Taiji's enthronement and rewarding meritorious officials, he abandoned Ning Wanwo for ten years on the grounds of gambling and sent him back to Sahalian as a slave.

It was not until another ten years later that Ning Wanwo, who had been reinstated, learned Fan Wencheng's cautious, hardworking and slave-like style and was reused.

Zhu Youjian had heard of Fan Wencheng's deeds and was not optimistic about his rebellion, so he told the Jinyiwei to act with caution.

At the same time, he asked the Jinyiwei's equipment department to cooperate with the inner court's weapons bureau and the outer court's equipment research institute to develop weapons such as miniature hand guns and time bombs, preparing to give the Jianlu a hard blow when necessary and assassinate a few dignitaries.

To maximize the benefits of this matter, the target must be chosen well. It would be best to trigger internal strife among the Jianlu like the death of Yue Tuo.

Niu Jinxing excitedly accepted the order and studied the information of Jianlu carefully to see what method he could use to provoke internal strife among Jianlu.

Jinyiwei was transformed into an intelligence agency for more than a year and indeed collected a lot of information about the Jianlu.

Especially after Liu Xingzuo rebelled, he brought a lot of information about the Jianlu.

His brothers and family were also asked a lot of information.

This time, Ning Wanwo was instigated to defect, and the connections of the Jianlu high-level officials were also collected.

After several days of research, Niu Jinxing found a breakthrough and discovered a person who might be turned against the government:
"Du Du, he is Nurhaci's eldest grandson and Chu Ying's son."

"According to the system of the Ming Dynasty, he should inherit Nurhaci's position."

"But now he has even lost his status as the flag master, so he must be resentful."

"Your Majesty can promise him a title and lure him to lead his troops in rebellion."

As the son of Chu Ying, although Du Du was conferred the title of Beile, he was not well received.

His Bordered White Banner had only fifteen Niulu, the weakest among the Eight Banners.

Even so, before his death, Nurhaci resigned from his post as leader of the Bordered White Banner and transferred to the Bordered Red Banner under Yuetuo.

Nurhaci planned to let Dorgon take the position of leader of the Bordered White Banner.

But unfortunately, Nurhaci died before Dorgon took office.

After Huang Taiji came to power, he handed over the Bordered White Banner to his son Haoge, making Haoge one of the four young beiles.

Then he ordered the two yellow flags and the two white flags to exchange flags, and he himself became the leader of the Plain White Flag from the leader of the Plain Yellow Flag, and Hauge became the leader of the Bordered White Flag from the leader of the Bordered Yellow Flag.

The new leaders of the Plain White Banner, Dodo, and the Bordered White Banner, Ajige, were brothers of the same mother as Dorgon. They were both sons of Abahai, who was forced to be buried alive by Huang Taiji.

The hatred between their parents was irreconcilable, so Huang Taiji and the three brothers Dorgon should be incompatible. However, Huang Taiji used a trick to dismiss Ajige from the position of the leader of the Bordered White Banner and let Dorgon, who was also in the Bordered White Banner, become the leader.

In this way, Dorgon's identity remained the leader of the Bordered White Banner arranged by Nurhaci before his death. Huang Taiji also alienated the relationship between Dorgon's three brothers, forcing Dorgon to rely on him.

In addition, Huang Taiji seemed to be a good person and cultivated Dorgon many times. He and Duoduo's two white flags became Huang Taiji's supporters after Huang Taiji's efforts.

Huang Taiji now relied most on the two yellow flags, the two white flags and the red-bordered flag. He was deeply jealous of the red flag of the first prince Daishan, the blue-bordered flag of the second prince Amin and the blue flag of the third prince Manggurtai.

As for Du Du, the former leader of the Bordered White Banner, no one paid any attention to him.

Du Du certainly had complaints about this, but he was dismissed as the leader of the Bordered White Banner by Nurhaci, so he could not blame Huang Taiji.

However, this time Yuetuo, the leader of the Bordered Red Banner, passed away, and Du Du, who used to be the leader of the banner and now works in the Bordered Red Banner, was unable to take over as the leader of the banner.

This made him unable to help but complain, feeling that it was unfair to him.

Niu Jinxing noticed the news and thought that Du Du might have been turned against the government.

Zhu Youjian had no impression of Du Du and had no idea about this person in history.

After hearing Niu Jinxing's introduction, he pondered for a while and said:
"Dudu is feeling resentful now, but he may not be thinking of changing his mind."

"Besides, he doesn't have much power right now, so he won't be of much use anyway."

"We can get more attention and arrange some people around him."

Then, Zhu Youjian decided:
"The persuasion of Dudu to defect should be considered a long-term task."

"He is the eldest grandson of Nurhaci. Huang Taiji, who is familiar with the Han system, will definitely be wary of him and suppress his strength."

"Du Du will encounter more and more injustice in the future. What the Jinyiwei spies have to do is to amplify his dissatisfaction."

"If there is any gain in the future, it will be a great achievement!"

Niu Jinxing understood what the emperor meant, that is, he thought Du Du was too weak now, and it would be useless to persuade him to rebel.

However, his ideas were still recognized, which made him very happy.

Then he offered another suggestion:
"I think that when we fight the Jianlu, we should focus on attacking the Red Banner and the Two White Banners."

"These three flags are all supporters of Huang Taiji. Attacking them will weaken Huang Taiji's power."

"And Dudu may also get a chance to become the flag master among them."

Zhu Youjian nodded in agreement and elaborated:
"Let the Privy Council issue an order that if the merits of the ordinary eight banners are recorded as one, the merits of the Bordered Red Banner and the two white banners are recorded as 1.2, and the merits of the two yellow banners are recorded as 1.5."

"Focus on attacking Huang Taiji's headquarters and his supporters, and balance the power of Huang Taiji and the three great beiles."

This is the greatest value of the information Ning Wanwo provided.

The Ming Dynasty had a better understanding of the internal situation of the Jianlu and was able to fight more effectively.

Then, Niu Jinxing mentioned the Eight Banners Han Army, which was another very important piece of information provided by Ning Wanwo.

The Ming Dynasty had already learned that there were Mongols among the Eight Banners.

Now that Huang Taiji has recruited Han scholars, he plans to incorporate some Han people into the Eight Banners.

This gave the Han people in the Later Jin Dynasty room for advancement, and ordinary people could also get the opportunity to become officials through military merit.

This incident had a huge impact. If the Ming Dynasty did not stop this incident and arouse the resistance of the Han people in Liaodong, they would become more and more submissive to the Jianlu and eventually be incorporated into the Eight Banners by the Jianlu.

This means that the Jianlu, who currently have only 50,000 to 60,000 able-bodied men, will obtain their soldiers from the current hundreds of thousands of bondservants.

The strength of the Jianlu will expand rapidly, from a military group of tens of thousands of people to a military group of hundreds of thousands of people.

The threat to the Ming Dynasty will rise to a new level, and it will truly have the power to change the dynasty.

It can be said that this simple strategy made Zhu Youjian deeply feel the pressure brought by Huang Taiji. He also realized that it was urgent to rescue the Han people in Liaodong.

We must give the Han people in Liaodong hope and rescue them so that they will not be willing to be slaves and assimilated by the Eight Banners. (End of this chapter)