Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 329 It's Difficult

January 4

Xing'an Prefecture, Shaanxi

Although Xing'an Prefecture is located at the junction of Shaanxi, Hubei and Sichuan provinces, it has not gained much economic benefits from its geographical location because it is sandwiched between the Daba Mountains and the Qinling Mountains.

But this alley is the only way from the Sichuan Plain to the Central Plains after all, and Xing'an Prefecture, which is stuck at the crossroads, naturally has a unique strategic significance.

Therefore, after being defeated in Xi'an, the anti-Qing forces in Shaanxi have been trying to capture this place in order to establish contact with the Ming army in the south.

"General! The city has been broken! The city has been broken!"

Following a burst of loud shouts, Hanzhong General He Zhen immediately stood up from his chair.

He was originally a subordinate of Li Zicheng. After the complete collapse of the Dashun regime, he brought Hanzhong to surrender to Ajige.

It was also because of the lack of manpower in the Qing army that the Qing court did not transfer him away after his surrender, but continued to appoint him as the general of Hanzhong.

Later, Zhang Xianzhong sent troops to the north to attack Hanzhong. He Zhen "pretended that the Qing army was powerful enough to meet the enemy." Xianzhong's troops were unaware of the truth and retreated to Sichuan.

After this, He Zhen thought he had made great contributions to the Qing Dynasty and relaxed his vigilance. However, where there are people, there is struggle, and where there are interests, the struggle will be more intense.

When Ajige passed by here before, the general situation in the world was not yet clear. However, the Qing troops later made great progress, and the powerful people in the Qing court began to make various plans.

After all, he is a commander-in-chief. He not only represents a huge amount of money, but also represents the confidence to speak in the court.

There is no need to say much about what happened next. As the Qing court was divided and disintegrated, He Zhen finally felt threatened.

When the Qing Dynasty's Governor of Shaanxi was planning to attack him, he took the initiative and captured and killed several Qing generals who came to monitor him.

At this point, he and the Qing court had completely broken off relations.

If Hauge had not been pursuing the Dashun Army that fled south at that time, the Qing army would not have had much strength in Shaanxi, and a force like his would not have been able to hold out for long.

However, Hanzhong was surrounded by the Qing Dynasty to the north and Zhang Xianzhong to the south. It was only a matter of time before the soldiers were defeated and killed in such a war zone.

After realizing this problem, He Zhen first attacked Fengxiang and then Xi'an, trying to fight his way out.

However, not only were the cities in these places strong, but the Qing troops defending the cities were also elite. He attacked twice but was ultimately defeated at the gates of the city.

During that period, He Zhen felt that there was no way to heaven and no door to earth, and that defeat and death were not far away.

Fortunately, there is always a way out.

Just when he was at the end of his rope, Sun Shoufa, the deputy general of the Ming Dynasty who had been hiding in Wulang Mountain and insisting on resisting the Qing Dynasty, came with several thousand troops to join him.

Afterwards, volunteers from various places came after hearing the news, and He Zhen's power grew stronger again.

But then again, the army is not something that can be defeated by just a stick.

Among this group of people, only He Zhen and Sun Shoufa's subordinates were capable of fighting. The rest were either teams formed by local armed forces or simply refugees.

Under such circumstances, their combat effectiveness was naturally worrying. After the Qing court's Dingxi General He Luohui led his troops to arrive, they had to think of heading south.

This led to this battle.

When He Zhen heard the news that the city had been broken, he was naturally very happy. Then he didn't care about anything else and trotted all the way to the front line.

"Obey the law! You really saved us from a lot of trouble this time!"

As soon as Fang saw Sun Shoufa, he excitedly gave him a bear hug, but when he let go, he saw that the other party had a sad face, as if he was troubled by something.

Once they pass Xing'an, they will be able to break into Xiangyang Prefecture. As long as they move quickly, they can enter the control area of ​​the Ming army before the Qing army can react.

By then, regardless of how they would collude with the Ming army, simply getting out of the situation of being attacked from all sides would be enough to make them feel much more relaxed.

Under such circumstances, he naturally didn't understand why Sun Shoufa had such a sad face.

"Law-abiding, what happened?"

In response to He Zhen's question, Sun Shoufa did not answer immediately, but thought about it again in his mind.

He was extremely happy to be able to capture Xing'an Prefecture, but just half an hour ago, the scouts responsible for guarding the periphery captured a Qing army messenger, and the messenger brought incredible news.

That's why after a brief moment of excitement he couldn't help but wonder if he had fallen into a trap set by the Qing army.

"Shou Fa, you and I have known each other for less than a few months, but we have also been through life and death together. Do you look like this today and you don't trust me?"

"What are you talking about? How can I not trust you? It's just... just..." Sun Shoufa finally realized that he couldn't hide it from the other party. After hesitating for a while, he poured out everything he knew and thought: "We caught a Qing army messenger earlier, saying that Ajige was defeated and died in Ganzhou."

"What?! Defeated and killed?!"

Hearing what Sun Shoufa said, He Zhen's eyes suddenly widened. After she came to her senses, she understood why the other party was hesitating.

As a former member of the Chuang army, he naturally knew the might of Ajige's army and had experienced the advantage of his military power. At the same time, he also knew what kind of people the Ming army was.

Even if we take a step back and say that Ajige was indeed defeated due to various unfavorable factors, he would never end up in defeat and death.

Thinking in this way, the message conveyed by the messenger must be false. No matter who it is, they have to consider who this false news is directed at.

"I thought about it for a while, and finally I think this news is a bait to lure us out, but we are already attacking Xing'an, so this is a bit redundant and I don't understand it."

He Zhen's reaction was within Sun Shoufa's expectations. Seeing that she was lost in thought, he slowly expressed his doubts to her.

This is the difficulty faced by generals. If there is not enough information, they cannot judge the situation. But if there is too much information, they have to distinguish the truth from the falsehood among the complex and even contradictory information.

If one is not careful, they will be defeated and die. How can they not be cautious and careful?

"Where's the messenger?"

After thinking for a while, He Zhen had no idea just like Sun Shoufa. When he really had no other choice, he could only try to get something out of the messenger.

About an incense stick's time later, a Qing army soldier was brought over. He Zhen did not ask him directly, but instead looked at the other person's expression carefully.

At this time, the Qing army soldier was filled with fear and just kept kowtowing, as if he was frightened out of his wits.

But He Zhen has traveled all over the world, so how could he be easily fooled by appearances?

"Whose subordinate are you?" "General, I am under the command of Wang Guangtai, the deputy general of Yunyang. I am passing through Xing'an to deliver a message to Prince Su's army."

"How can you know what's happening in Jiangxi when you're so far away in Yunyang?"

"Replying to the general, my general Wang Guangen is in Prince Ying's army. After the defeat, his personal guards went to Yunyang to report."

Wang Guangen?
He Zhen was familiar with this name. This man surnamed Wang had served with He Zhen in the army of King Chuang. However, Li Zicheng was defeated by the government army several times later. Wang lost confidence in Li Zicheng, and the two of them embarked on different paths.

This situation was extremely common in the late Ming Dynasty. Even when the Southern Ming was about to perish, most of the people fighting on the southwest battlefield were peasant armies from the northwest. On the contrary, official troops and Tatars rarely appeared on the battlefield.

"How did Ajige lose?"

"Reporting to the general, the guard who escaped back only knew that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was personally leading the army, and he didn't know anything else."

"Asshole! How can you escape from the battlefield without knowing how you were defeated?!"

"General, he really didn't say that!"

Seeing that He Zhen seemed really angry, the Qing army soldiers were so scared that they started knocking their heads on the ground again.

He was quick-witted. He knew that his words would not convince the other party, so he immediately thought of proving it from the side.

"Oh, right! General, when I left, I heard that the Hunan Ming army was attacking Wuchang. This must be a plan of the Ming emperor. Otherwise, why would He Tengjiao attack Wuchang at this time instead of earlier or later?"

After the words fell, He Zhen and Sun Shoufa were both stunned.

They had only received the news of the Hunan Ming army's northern attack on Wuchang a few days ago, and because their attention was all focused on the news of Ajige's defeat, they did not connect the two together.

But if you think about it this way, the authenticity of this news becomes several percent higher.

Is it
Did Your Majesty really defeat Ajige and kill him?

But how is this possible?
He Zhen and Sun Shoufa's doubts seemed to underestimate the combat effectiveness of Zhu Cilang's subordinates.

But you have to know that He Zhen had been imprisoned in Hanzhong since the complete collapse of the Dashun regime, and Sun Shoufa had hidden in the mountains since the Chuang army captured Shaanxi.

In their situation, it is difficult for them to even protect themselves, so how can they possibly have a deep understanding of the changes in the Ming Dynasty?
But this is not a very important matter.

After all, the entire situation has undergone fundamental changes due to Zhu Cilang's two great victories. The pressure that the anti-Qing forces in Jiangbei have to bear will naturally be much lighter than in history.

On the one hand, this was because after the two major wars, the Qing army's strength was greatly reduced and it was unable to take care of everywhere. On the other hand, its internal power structure had already begun to shake.

Beijing
紫禁城

After the news of Duoduo's defeat came last time, although there were undercurrents in the city of Beijing, it still seemed peaceful and serene on the surface.

However, this time, only one day after the news from Ganzhou came, an imperial meeting attended by leaders from all parties was quickly convened.

"This is Hong Chengchou's letter of apology. Uncles and princes, please take a look at how to approve it."

"Reporting to the Holy Mother Empress Dowager, Hong Chengchou led a large army to take risks, which ultimately resulted in casualties on the front line. In my opinion, he should be tortured to death!"

As soon as the eunuch took the memorial from Bumbutai, Jirgalang immediately stood out from the line of court officials.

After hearing his words, not only did all the princes and ministers have no reaction, even Dorgon and Dodo looked indifferent, as if this matter had nothing to do with them.

Are you kidding? How could they not be involved?
On the surface, this plan was the result of discussions between Hong Chengchou and Ajige, the two commanders at the front. But everyone knew that without Dorgon's approval, how could the two of them possibly pull off such a big fuss?

Everyone knew about this situation, but for some reason, there was only Jirgalang on the attacking side, and the defenders did nothing.

Seeing this situation, Bumbutai was a little surprised at first, but after a moment she seemed to have figured out the key.

"What do you think, uncle and regent?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Dorgon, who was standing at the head of the ministers, slowly stepped out. Just as Jirgalang was about to refute his defense, he saw that the other party simply lifted up his lapel and knelt on the ground.

You have to know that since he was named the Emperor's uncle and regent, only others had to kneel to Dorgon, so he had never kneeled to others.

This time he was doomed, but why would he act like this?

"Reporting to the Holy Mother Empress Dowager, Hong Chengchou is guilty, but as the Emperor's uncle and regent, I am also to blame," Dorgon bowed to the ground, and after standing up again, he continued, "Therefore, I resign as the Emperor's uncle and regent."

Is this. So simple?
Listening to Dorgon's words and watching his actions, Jirgalang, who had already prepared for a big battle, felt like he was punching cotton.

When it was decided to make Fulin the emperor, he and Dorgon were both regent princes. However, his status gradually declined in the subsequent struggles.

After entering Beijing, he was only given the title of the Emperor's Uncle and Regent, which was obviously behind Dorgon.

Jirgalang was naturally resentful about this, but Dorgon not only had strong personal abilities, but also had two brothers from the same mother as his arms. Although a person like him was outstanding among ordinary princes, he pales in comparison with Dorgon.

Therefore, even if he had his own ideas, he could only be inferior to others and feel depressed until
"Why do you say that, Prince Regent? It was all your hard work that allowed the Manchus to enter the country. If you resign just because of this defeat, wouldn't the Qing Dynasty lose a pillar?"

Adulterer and adulterer!

Bumbutai did not express much emotion when she spoke, and her attempt to retain Dorgon seemed to be just a formality. However, after hearing these words, Jirgalang cursed in his heart and immediately planned to go into battle shirtless.

In essence, although Hauge's military force was strong, he did not have many available people in the central government.

On the one hand, this is of course related to the fact that he has rarely been in the capital, but on the other hand, it has to be admitted that his overwhelming military strength has already aroused fear from all parties.

But this is nothing.

In Jirgalang's opinion, Dorgon's position as regent will certainly be lost today, and he and Hauge will surely be able to control the court inside and outside.

As the saying goes, a wise bird chooses the right tree to roost in. Given time, they may be able to weave a big net like Dorgon.

just
"What the Holy Mother Queen Mother said is absolutely right. Fourteenth Brother has worked so hard for our Great Qing, how can we deprive him of his position as Regent because of a defeat? If we really want to convict him, let alone the Regent, how can the Regent and the other kings like us escape?"

"Dodo! Shut up. I decide all court affairs. How can you blame the regent?"

"If he didn't participate in such a big event, what's the point of having this regent?"

The two brothers were talking to each other, and Jirgalang had all the words in his heart stuck in his throat. But when he turned his gaze to Daishan, a light voice came into his ears.

"Ganzhou must be punished for its defeat, but Prince Yu's words seem to make sense. It's difficult to deal with it."

(End of this chapter)