Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1114 Retreat

The battle on the deck started off well but ended whimperingly with Dorgon's hasty retreat.

After paying a certain price, Dorgon retreated to Shengjing in a panic. Fortunately, he ran fast. If Sun Chuanting's troops had arrived a day later, it would have been difficult for him to escape.

After returning to Shengjing, the situation was still not optimistic. The whole Shengjing was filled with a suffocating panic. There had never been such a situation since the founding of the Qing Dynasty. Whether it was ordinary Manchus or nobles, even the empress dowager in the palace were all uneasy. On the contrary, the young emperor Fulin, because of his young age, did not know what he was going to face.

As soon as he returned to Shengjing, the first thing Dorgon did was to rush into the palace to see Bumbutai.

Bumbutai had been frightened these days, had not eaten well or slept well, and had become much more haggard. When she saw Dorgon coming, she subconsciously stood up and took two steps forward. At this time, she had forgotten her status as the empress dowager and was at a loss like an ordinary woman.

"You're finally back." Bumbutai's eyes were slightly red and tears were welling up in them.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry…” Dorgon forced a smile, patted Bumbutai’s hand gently, and pulled her to sit down.

Although Dorgon was extremely anxious at this moment, he still had to act confident in front of his beloved woman. Moreover, he knew very well that the current situation was critical, and as the regent, he could not show any panic, otherwise there would be no need to fight the next battle, and the Qing Dynasty would definitely lose.

"How can I not be anxious? These past few days, the princes and beile have been coming to the palace to ask for an audience, asking me to come up with a solution. What can a woman like me do? Your battle situation in the east is not favorable, and now the Ming army is invading in large numbers. I heard that they will soon reach Shengjing. I have no one to help me. I have been worried during your absence."

"Haha, haven't I come back?" Dorgon said with a smile. Seeing his calm look, Bumbutai's expression gradually relaxed. Dorgon had always been the man standing behind her and had always been omnipotent. With such a man to rely on, Bumbutai felt a lot more at ease.

After chatting for a few words, Bumbutai felt much more at ease under Dorgon's comfort. Seeing that the time was almost right, Dorgon said to her with concentration: "Hurry up and prepare everything you need to pack. Also, keep an eye on the emperor. Don't let him be alone these few days. Even when he sleeps at night, he must be with you."

"This...?" Bumbutai's expression froze, and she realized the meaning of Dorgon's words.

He shook her hand, gave her a calming look, and said seriously: "Shengjing is no longer safe at the moment. Staying in Shengjing is not a good idea. Once the Ming army arrives, the situation will deteriorate to the worst."

"Not really?" Bumbutai said anxiously, "Shengjing has high walls and thick fortresses, and we have a lot of troops in the Eight Banners. If we call on our slaves to fight, we can at least gather a hundred thousand people. Even if we can't defeat the Ming army, we can hold on without any worries. Why...?"

"Well, if we really want to defend it, it's not impossible. You're right. Shengjing is the capital of the Qing Dynasty, and the city defense is strong. It is indeed difficult for the Ming army stationed there with the Qing Dynasty's military strength to break through. But don't forget that defending a city depends not only on people, but also on supplies and food. Since Fulin ascended the throne, the Qing Dynasty has been short of supplies. The previous plunder of Korea was to make up for the shortage of supplies. In recent years, the Ming Dynasty has repeatedly blockaded the Qing Dynasty, making the supply deficit even greater than the expenditure."

"I have sent people to check before I came. The supplies in Shengjing can only last for three months at most. Once Shengjing is surrounded, the supplies from outside can no longer be brought in. With so many people in the city without food after three months, how can the city be defended? By then, Shengjing will fall, and it will be too late to seek a retreat."

"So Shengjing can be defended, but not to the death. Especially you and the emperor must not stay in Shengjing. Staying in Shengjing is a dead end. Before the main force of the Ming army arrives, I will send you out first. As long as you and the emperor are here, my Qing Dynasty will still have a way out. Even if Shengjing is broken, I will still be able to fight my way out to find you."

"This... this..." Bumbutai looked panicked and even more uneasy. She never thought the situation would get so bad that she would even have to give up Shengjing.

Although Dorgon made it clear, Bumbutai was still reluctant to leave Shengjing. After all, Shengjing was the capital of the Qing Dynasty, and she knew what it meant to lose Shengjing. In addition, as a woman, where could she go with the little emperor after leaving Shengjing? In particular, Dorgon's words meant that he would stay in Shengjing instead of following him, which made Bumbutai even more uneasy.

"You come with us. I will feel at ease with you around."

"No!" Dorgon shook his head and said, "I can't leave!"

"Why?"

Dorgon smiled bitterly and explained: "You and the emperor left. If I leave too, do you think Shengjing still needs to be defended? If we are not here, I am afraid that someone will surrender as soon as we leave Shengjing. By then, Shengjing will be easily captured by the Ming army, and the Ming army will be able to pursue us unscrupulously. Where do you think we can escape to?" "But..."

"No need to talk about other things. Only if I stay in Shengjing can I suppress those people. If I am not in Shengjing, I will definitely not be able to defend it. The longer I defend it, the safer you and the emperor will be. If Shengjing is really in trouble, you don't have to worry. I will always find a way to get out."

Bumbutai couldn't help but shed tears. Although she had been using Dorgon, it would be a lie to say that she and Dorgon had no feelings for each other. They were childhood sweethearts, and they had feelings for each other after all these years. Especially today, Dorgon was willing to put himself in danger to send her and the emperor out of Shengjing first. This alone moved her deeply.

"But if I leave with the emperor, where can we go?"

"Don't worry about this, I've already thought about it." Dorgon whispered a few words in Bumbutai's ear, telling her that he would send his most trusted subordinates and the most elite white-armored soldiers to escort her and the emperor away. After leaving Shengjing, they would head north to Siping and Huaide, but when they got there, they would turn west, make a circle and enter the Shuangliao area, and then find a way to go south and quietly lurk near the Horqin grassland.

With the white-armored soldiers as their guard, their safety was not a problem, and as long as they did not encounter a large number of Ming troops and Agudamu's main cavalry, the white-armored soldiers would be able to protect them. Moreover, Bumbutai was originally from the Khorchin grassland, and was very familiar with the terrain and people there. Even though Khorchin had been defeated and Khorchin Prince Qitat was missing, Khorchin was still much safer than Liaodong.

After Agudamu defeated Qitat, Dorgon inferred that he would soon march eastward to cooperate with Wang Jinwu's main force to sweep Liaodong. At this time, he would definitely not have time to completely annex the Khorchin tribe, and only occupied it in name only.

So they took this opportunity to hide in Khorchin, so that neither Agudamu nor the Ming army would know where they were. If they could find a way to recapture a small tribe in Khorchin and use it as a cover, they could hide their tracks even more.

There is another benefit in Khorchin, that is, they can find the whereabouts of Qitat. After finding Qitat, the two sides can unite and secretly accumulate strength, and one day they can take back the ruling power of Khorchin and even fight back against Liaodong.

As long as Bumbutai and the emperor were there, the Qing Dynasty would be there. With the help of Khorchin, they might be able to make a comeback. This was the way out Dorgon arranged for them.

After listening to Dorgon's explanation, Bumbutai felt a little relieved. But after thinking about it, she still asked: "Is there no other way besides this road?"

"Haha, what else can we do now?" Dorgon asked with a wry smile.

"Should we negotiate with the Ming Dynasty? Go to the emperor's throne to ask for peace? Or discuss it with Haoge, and if that doesn't work, give the throne to Haoge? As long as he can protect us..."

"Impossible!" Dorgon said without waiting for Bumbutai to finish his words: "This is absolutely impossible! The Ming army has the upper hand, Shengjing is in danger, and the Ming emperor is not a fool. How could he negotiate with us at this time? If I were the Ming emperor, I would definitely ask us to surrender directly. Moreover, the current Ming emperor is not the former Chongzhen Emperor. Even if I want to delay time, I am afraid it will not work."

"As for Haoge, let alone him, he hates us to the core, and has now completely surrendered to the Ming Dynasty. He has even given up being the Prince Su, so how could he become the emperor of the Qing Dynasty? Besides, the Qing Dynasty today is not the same as before. With the enemy at the gates, the city is about to collapse. Haoge intends to get rid of us as soon as possible, so how could he make such a choice?"

"I...this..." Bumbutai was stunned, and nodded helplessly after thinking carefully. Dorgon was right. The situation was different now. Neither peace talks nor winning over Hauge with the throne were possible. In this case, the only way they could go was the one arranged by Dorgon.

Two days later, under Dorgon's arrangement, preparations were made to escort Bumbutai, the emperor and others out of Shengjing. As for who to send to escort and lead the troops, Dorgon finally chose Ebilun.

Ebilun was the grandson of Nurhaci and the nephew of Dorgon. He was the son of Eyidu, one of the five founding ministers of the Qing Dynasty. Although he was young, he was steady in his work and was brave and good at fighting. He served as a first-class guard during the reign of Huang Taiji and was deeply loved by Huang Taiji.

Moreover, compared with others, Ebilun was loyal to the Qing Dynasty, especially to the little emperor. In addition, he had a good relationship with Dorgon. He was the most suitable person to lead the troops to escort Bumbutai and the little emperor.

In this way, Dorgon asked Ebilun to lead a thousand white armors and two thousand elite Eight Banners to escort Bumbutai and the young emperor and others to leave Shengjing before the main force of the Ming army arrived. It was not that he could not send more soldiers, but that these troops were enough. If there were too many people, it would be troublesome to move, and it would be more difficult to hide the traces. These people, not too many or too few, could not only protect Bumbutai and the young emperor, but also give them certain capital for a comeback in the future. You must know that Nurhaci started his army with only thirteen sets of armor. These three thousand people were more than a hundred times stronger than the old Khan. What the old Khan could do, how could Dorgon not do it in the future?

(End of this chapter)