Xie Ming

Grand Secretary Qiu silenced Ma Shiying's disobedient remarks, giving Emperor Hongguang a much-needed breather. He quickly grabbed Qiu Weizhen, showing goodwill by sending him to accompany Wang Zhixin to his seat.

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Wang did not hesitate. With a glance, he took the stool from the young eunuch and personally went down the steps to help the old eunuch.

"Come on, oh dear, Your Excellency, slow down."

"Your Majesty is very considerate. You must hold on, old man."

Wang Zhixin spoke his mind, and the two exchanged glances, each with their own thoughts.

A few moments.

With great difficulty, Qiu Weizhen, supported by the three men, slowly sat down.

"oh oh"

"Thank you, Your Majesty." He turned his head, quickly offered his thanks, and bowed to the emperor.

After turning over, he also looked up at Wang Zhixin, who was bowing to his side, and thanked him for his trouble.

"Hoo hoo. Yes, thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Wang."

Having finished speaking, due to his advanced age and the anger that had just subsided, Elder Qiu was unable to hold his breath and managed to swallow a few mouthfuls of saliva.

During this time, the hall fell into a deep silence once again. All the officials kept their mouths shut, and none dared to utter a word at this moment.

After a moment of hesitation, Qiu Weizhen, having calmed his breathing, finally managed to speak again.

"Well, it's a mess right now. Ma Shiying was acting rashly, and what Minister Li said was perhaps a bit too extreme."

"My colleagues hold important positions in the government and should all work together in the cabinet."

"Let me say something that comes out of seniority."

"As a subject serving the country and the emperor, one is qualified to serve as a cabinet advisor. Reaching this position is already the pinnacle of one's career."

"Let me give you a piece of advice: as a person, you must know how to cherish what you have."

"Thunder and rain, are they not divine grace?"

"We officials, no matter what we discuss, must be responsible to the emperor and the country."

"Well, for example, what you all just said."

"In reality, no matter how much we talk about it, it all boils down to two things."

At this point, two fingers were extended, and Grand Secretary Qiu's cloudy old eyes, though sharp, were fixed on the ministers in the hall.

"First, should we send the Duke of Jingguo's army back to the capital to resist the Jurchens in the north?"

"The second one is what Ma Shiying just mentioned, whether or not to surrender."

"Alas, specific problems should be analyzed specifically. According to the old minister's advice, the worst thing is to go to extremes on both sides."

Qiu Weizhen withdrew his gaze from among the officials and returned to the side couch in front of the Hongguang Emperor.

"Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, these two methods can be used together."

"Well, firstly, the court is currently filled with fear of the enemy, and the officials are terrified, which has led to this public proposal to surrender."

"Ah, let's set aside right and wrong, good and bad."

"Many people hold this view, and public opinion will inevitably become unpredictable."

"After all, even if the Qing troops are driven back, the provinces, prefectures, counties and townships in Jiangnan will still need to be managed by them."

"Trying to condemn everyone by one stroke is a recipe for disaster; if not handled properly, it will lead to disaster and losses outweigh the gains."

"Ma Shiying's decision to resort to the methods of the Southern Song Dynasty at this time was, in fact, a last resort."

"The Tartar cavalry is the most powerful in the world, and in the blink of an eye, they can kill their way from a thousand miles away."

"In the beginning, the reason why Vice Minister Ni was so keen to promote peace and turn the scheme of driving one tiger into another was ultimately because of this concern."

"I just didn't expect the bandits in the Northwest to be so weak in combat."

"The original plan to achieve mutual destruction and balance the northern forces has completely failed, and instead the Tartar soldiers have been able to consolidate the northern territory."

"The arrogant Jurchen soldiers now have nowhere to vent their frustrations, and they are so self-righteous that they have led to the situation of invading the south ahead of schedule."

"In the end, it was our miscalculation!"

Clearly, even Grand Secretary Qiu was feeling bitter about this matter.

"Therefore, we are now trapped in this situation."

"Your Majesty, this old minister's intention is to request a reduction in the weight of the proposal for peace, as it is an urgent matter."

"This matter, besides, can be delayed to ease the enemy's momentum."

"As long as we hold our breath and make a show of strength, everything can be discussed." "It all depends on how we negotiate."

"Moreover, the introduction of this charter is sufficient to appease the hearts and minds of the people in the court and among the public at present."

"To avoid internal and external troubles that would only make the situation worse."

In the end, Qiu Weizhen also intended to persuade Ma Shiying to surrender, but he was quite different from Ma Shiying. One changed from surrender to peace, a difference of just one word, and the perception of him changed immediately.

However, the Hongguang Emperor was, after all, a man of great wisdom and composure, and he certainly understood the meaning behind those words.

So when he arrived and heard this, he could only express his dissatisfaction by remaining silent.

"Humph!"

"Grand Secretary Qiu, no matter what you do, you still want to surrender."

"That sounds nice, doesn't it?"

Li Shichun, quick to speak, was about to retort when he sensed something was amiss.

However, Grand Secretary Qiu understood his intentions and suddenly raised his hand to interrupt him.

"Hehe, Minister Li! Calm down, calm down."

"Whatever your opinion, at least let me finish speaking before you speak, okay?"

Qiu Weizhen interrupted, and Li Shichun, who was about to speak, had no choice but to swallow his words for the time being.

At that moment, as others glanced at Ni Yuanlu, Ni, the Vice Minister, gave him a meaningful look.

Looking again at Emperor Hongguang's bedside, there was also tacit approval.

Helpless and frustrated, Li Shichun, assessing the situation, had no choice but to fling his robes and remain silent for the time being, to see what would happen next.

"Well, as for the second point I just mentioned..."

"Then, we must return to the matter of the Duke of Jingguo's return with his troops."

"In my opinion, it is not impossible to issue an urgent edict ordering Xiao's army to come to the east to provide assistance."

"Just...hehe." Qiu Canyan gave a bitter laugh.

"Ma Shiying just spoke in a hurry, and I won't go into details, but there's one thing he said that I really agree with."

"That is because they fear that General Xiao, who currently commands a strong army, might defect in the face of battle and become the next Zuo Liangyu."

"Your Majesty, this situation should not be ignored."

"So I thought, since that's the case, why not take a middle ground? Originally, orders were issued from one place, but now we're sending troops to three places to intervene more."

"One route, order Sun Peizhong's troops in Henan to advance along the Yellow River and directly attack Jinan, Dezhou and other places in Shandong behind enemy lines."

"The Qing army marched south in a large force, and they were moving in such a hurry."

"This old minister is not very knowledgeable about military affairs."

"But considering that the enemy's battle lines are stretched for thousands of miles, their rear must be vulnerable."

"With this Henan army advancing eastward, even if we fail to conquer, we will certainly make the enemy have something to worry about and be wary of."

"In addition, we can also try to divide Xiao Jun's main force currently stationed in Jiujiang by the second and third routes."

“Li Huchen, I have heard of him before. He is unparalleled in loyalty and bravery. At this critical moment, Your Majesty must be bold in employing such a person.”

“He could send one of his troops eastward along the land route from Shouchun to Fengyang.”

"As for the Duke of Jingguo, he controlled most of the waterways and the river cables."

"With great chaos looming ahead, the court must exercise control over its military forces abroad and can no longer afford to be stingy with titles and ranks."

“Sun Peizhong and Li Huchen could use their titles of duke or marquis to expedite their military campaign.”

"In that case, I expect the two of them will obey the imperial edict."

"Alas, the situation waits for no one, so let's just try anything as a last resort."

"If the Duke of Jingguo is indeed a pillar of the state, he will surely understand the court's good intentions."

"If everything goes smoothly and as desired, Xiao's army will send reinforcements from three directions to the east."

"Therefore, the peace negotiations were quickly turned from a passive to an active one."

Qiu Weizhen's shrewd planning and skillful handling of both sides, while seemingly insensitive to the nuances of the situation, revealed his mature and experienced approach to governing the country.

(End of this chapter)