Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 237 The Jurchens Want to Surrender? No Way!

In August of the seventeenth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, Dorgon's authority within the Jurchen tribe plummeted two months after his defeat at Shanhaiguan.

Although Dorgon defeated Hauge after internal struggles and became regent,

However, Dorgon was slightly inferior in military strength.

Because Huang Taiji controlled three banners: the Bordered Yellow Banner, the Plain Yellow Banner, and the Plain Blue Banner, he possessed nearly half of the troops in the Eight Banners.

After Huang Taiji's death, the Bordered Yellow Banner and the Plain Yellow Banner, as the two inner banners, were given to Huang Taiji's successor, Fulin.

The Plain Blue Banner belonged to Huang Taiji's eldest son, Hauge.

However, due to various reasons, Hauge lost his right of succession, Fulin was young, and the three banners could not unite, so Dorgon seized power with the strength of two banners.

However, this defeat at Shanhaiguan undoubtedly became an excuse for Hauge, Daishan, Jirhalang and others to attack them.

After Dorgon returned, Hauge indeed demanded that a meeting of the princes be convened.

The meeting did indeed take place.

However, it was different from what Haug had imagined.

At the meeting, the people did criticize Dorgon's defeat, but they did not remove him from power.

Dorgon remained silent throughout the meeting. Apart from Dodo offering a few words of explanation on his behalf, everyone else was pointing out his mistakes.

The meeting seemed to raise the issue high but then lower it lightly, making no mention of removing Dorgon from his post or his power.

Even though Haug brought it up once at the meeting, none of the kings responded; they all remained silent.

This infuriated Hauge, who stormed off.

What he didn't know was.

Even if Dorgon suffers a great defeat this time, the council of princes will not actually depose him.

Ultimately, at this point, Dorgon was the only one capable of carrying the banner of the Qing Dynasty.

Dai Shan is too old, over sixty, and in poor health, so he has basically retired to the second line.

Although Jirgalang was in his prime, he was not a descendant of Nurhaci, but rather Nurhaci's nephew, and therefore could not possibly hold power.

Fulin was young. Although he was the emperor and the nominal head of the Plain Yellow Banner, he was not even seven years old.

His subordinates, such as Ao Bai, Sony, and Tan Tai, could fight for his rights, but they couldn't fight for power.

Needless to say, Haug was hot-tempered and reckless.

Azig and Hauge are the same.

Dodo is only thirty years old this year, far less capable than Dorgon.

So, after counting them all, only Dorgon is truly capable of fighting, wise, and intelligent enough to take charge of the current situation.

Hauge didn't understand. He thought that as long as Dorgon was deposed, he could take power as Huang Taiji's eldest son.

Little did they know that the upper echelons of the Qing dynasty were well aware that, given the current state of the Qing dynasty's lack of successors, if they were to hand over power to Hauge, they would be doomed.

The meeting only truly began after Hauge left.

Inside the Chongzheng Hall of the Shenyang Imperial Palace, it was August, and it was snowing heavily outside.

The snowflakes fell thickly, covering the entire palace, and the biting wind chilled everyone to the bone.

Charcoal was burning indoors, which dispelled some of the chill.

The princes sat on chairs warming themselves by the charcoal fire, some with serious expressions, some with their eyes closed in meditation, and some in silence, creating a somewhat somber atmosphere.

After Hauge left, he currently holds no real power. Only Daishan, the banner chief of the Plain Red Banner, who has a relatively high political status, allowed Dodo to recount the events in detail.

After Dodo finished speaking, everyone's expressions varied.

In fact, Dorgon did not return to Shengjing until the day before yesterday. Before that, he had been along the Ningjin line, guarding against Ming army attacks.

At the same time, the most important thing is to immediately investigate internal information about the Ming Dynasty.

During this time, their inside agents in the Ming Dynasty kept sending news from the Ming Dynasty, which finally made Dorgon certain of one thing—the Ming Taizu descended to earth, it was true!

Moreover, the Ming Taizu (Emperor Hongwu) once said that the future of the country would belong to the Manchus.

However, because the Manchu Qing dynasty massacred Han people, Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Taizu who had become a deity, decided to use all his magical powers to demote himself to a mortal and descend to earth to save the world.

In the past, Dorgon would have just laughed at such outrageous news and wouldn't have taken it seriously.

But now, a hundred Ming soldiers could rout his 100,000-strong army, which made Dorgon question his life, especially since Dodo was a witness to it.

If Dodo hadn't run so fast...

It's likely that those lying on the ground weren't just the few thousand soldiers and cavalry he had sent to surround and kill Zhou An and his men.

"This should be some kind of firearm."

After a long while, Jirhalang said, "The thing in the hands of the Ming people can spew flames, which is very similar to a musket."

Dodo frowned and said, "I thought so at first too, but the soldiers who survived the war had their legs broken. This doesn't seem like firearms; it's more terrifying than cannons."

"His entire leg was broken?"

"This, this, this, Dodo, you must be lying to us."

"Why would I lie to you? That's not all. I took a look before, and many people's bodies were smashed."

"How is that possible? Can you really shatter a person's body from hundreds of steps away?"

The kings were utterly astonished.

This is far beyond their understanding of the lethality of firearms.

Little did they know that the firearms used by the Ming army were not ordinary firearms, but AK47s manufactured by Zhu Di using blueprints, prototypes, and modern machinery.

AKs cannot be mass-produced, but parts can be stamped out using a stamping press for assembly, and thousands can be produced each year.

The AK uses 7.62mm bullets.

After being fired, this bullet spins continuously due to its powerful kinetic energy, generating tremendous impact force.

So when a bullet enters a person's body, it's not just a bullet hole as shown in the movies, but rather like a direct hit to the body, creating a hole the size of a bowl.

It's no exaggeration to say that, combined with the cavity effect, if a bullet hits the chest, there will be a large hole in the chest, and the internal organs inside the chest will be torn apart instantly, with the bullet passing through the body.

This is more painful than being hit by a cannon.

As a result, no bullets were left in the bodies of the Qing soldiers who were shot. If they were hit by multiple bullets, their bodies, heads and limbs would be shattered, a truly horrific sight!

It was precisely this exaggerated destructive power that dealt a severe blow to the morale of the Manchu soldiers, causing many to fear going to the battlefield and resulting in low morale in the army.

"The most urgent task now is to think of a solution."

After a long silence, Dorgon finally spoke: "The soldiers are already afraid of fighting, and some have disappeared without a trace, probably deserters."

"The Han people cannot be trusted. The Han soldiers below have been acting strangely recently, and there has been unrest under Wu Sangui's command. Some people have escaped under cover of night. I am afraid that they will collude with the Ming people from within."

Dodo also said, "The situation in Ningjin is very bad right now. Brother, shouldn't we go back to Ningjin immediately?"

"No rush." ​​Dorgon raised his head and looked at everyone, saying, "Wu Sangui is someone the Ming people are determined to kill. As for the others, Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming, Shang Kexi, and Shen Zhixiang, they also know that surrendering back would mean certain death. There's no need to worry about them. The most important thing now is how to stabilize morale and think about what to do now: continue fighting the Ming people or negotiate peace?"

Luo Luohun, the banner lord of the Bordered Red Banner and Prince Yanxi of the Doro clan, said, “I have heard that Hong Chengchou is a man of great strategy. When the late emperor was alive, he often consulted him. Why don’t we ask him what he thinks of the people of the Ming Dynasty now?”

Hong Chengchou had already surrendered to the Manchus at this time.

However, he was not actually included in the inner circle, nor was he granted an official position. Throughout Huang Taiji's reign, he was under house arrest and not allowed to leave freely. Therefore, when Dorgon questioned Fan Wencheng, Hong Chengchou did not appear at all.

The current meeting of princes is the highest-level meeting in the Qing Dynasty, and they even have the power to depose and install Emperor Fulin. Not to mention Hong Chengchou, even Fan Wencheng is not qualified to attend.

However, Dorgon said, "If you want to ask about military strategy, you can ask Hong Chengchou, but now is the time for national policy. We only have two paths before us: continue fighting or try to negotiate. What's the use of asking him?"

"Let's talk peace."

Dai Shanchang sighed and said, "The Ming people are too powerful now. We have no chance of defeating them. We can only negotiate."

When he spoke, Dorgon, Dodo, Jirgalang, and others who had participated in the Battle of Shanhai Pass breathed a sigh of relief.

In fact, most of the people here had participated in the war. Even Prince Bolo of Gushan died on the battlefield. Many people escaped for their lives and witnessed the strength of the Ming army, which terrified them.

If the fighting continues, I'm afraid not only the soldiers below, but also most of the princes, dukes, beile, and beizi here will oppose it.

It's just that they dare not say it.

Now that Daishan, who holds the highest political position, has taken the initiative to bring it up, the situation is naturally different.

Dorgon immediately said, "In that case, let's come up with a reason for peace talks. I think we can send a letter of credence to the Ming people and send an envoy to Shanhaiguan to sound them out."

Jirhalang shook his head and said, "My concern now is that they are unwilling to negotiate with us. Anyone who knows Han history should know who Zhu Yuanzhang is; he has always been bloodthirsty. Now that they have the military power to wipe us out, it is impossible for them to coexist peacefully with us. You should not naively imagine continuing the situation like the Ming Dynasty of the past, where they were inside the pass and we were outside. I'm afraid that if we cannot come up with a satisfactory explanation, they will inevitably march eastward."

"Uh, I heard that Zhu Yuanzhang launched several northern expeditions against the Mongols, and Zhu Di also ventured deep into the Mongolian steppes several times. Now there's news from Shanhaiguan that Zhu Di is already there. What should we do?"

"We need to come up with a solution. In my opinion, we should submit a letter of pledging our allegiance to the Ming Dynasty, just like Korea, and become a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty."

"Such humiliation?"

"Then tell me what to do? Morale in the army is low. Should we continue fighting the Ming?"

"Let's sound them out first."

Seeing that everyone was already very discouraged and clearly had a heavy psychological shadow, fearing that his father's foundation would collapse, Dai Shan said, "We can hand over the surrender document, admit defeat, and be willing to surrender and compensate the Ming Dynasty for its losses, only asking to continue to coexist with the Ming Dynasty."

"Ah."

Dorgon thought for a moment and felt that this was the best solution. He smiled wryly and said, "Then let's do it this way. I will have Fan Wencheng write the letter of surrender and have His Majesty affix the imperial seal."

Dai Shan sighed, “According to what Zhu Yuanzhang said, the future should have belonged to our Great Qing Dynasty. It’s truly Heaven’s will to destroy us.”

"They probably won't stay for long either; I don't believe they can stay indefinitely."

Dorgon gritted his teeth, a sinister glint in his eyes, and said, "As long as we remain safe and secretly accumulate strength, sooner or later, after they leave, this world will still belong to our Great Qing."

Dai Shan, who was over sixty years old and suffered from many illnesses, coughed twice, closed his eyes, and said wearily, "I hope so."

On that day, after the meeting of the princes concluded, Dorgon instructed Fan Wencheng to write a letter of surrender, which he would then personally deliver to Jinzhou.

The current situation is that the main force of the Qing Dynasty is deployed along the Ningjin Railway.

Wu Sangui's Guan Ning cavalry remained in Ningyuan, while Dorgon's main force was in Jinzhou.

Since the news was already confirmed, and it was Wu Sangui who later opened the Shanhaiguan Pass to let the Qing army into the pass, Wu Sangui was also put on the Ming Dynasty's kill list, so there was no need to worry that Wu Sangui would betray the Ming Dynasty again.

However, the morale of Wu Sangui's army is even lower now. It is said that many people secretly deserted in the middle of the night and ran back to Shanhaiguan to surrender to the Ming army.

I just don't know how long this situation can last.

Dorgon returned to Jinzhou with a heavy heart.

soon.

By the end of August.

After a grueling two-week journey, Lao Zhu has arrived at Shanhaiguan.

He brought only two thousand men, but the auxiliary soldiers and laborers transporting supplies numbered two hundred thousand, and the supplies included over a thousand rapid-fire cannons and mortars, along with hundreds of tons of shells.

Even ignoring the AK bullets, the sheer number of artillery shells was enough to level Shengjing, which shows just how terrifyingly powerful Zhu De is now.

Shanhaiguan faces the Bohai Sea winds directly, while cold air from Siberia moves southward from the north.

If it's not during the Little Ice Age, the climate is pleasant, and places like Qinhuangdao attract countless tourists every year during holidays.

However, during the Little Ice Age, global temperatures dropped, and in later times, the lowest winter temperatures in Qinhuangdao were only around minus ten degrees Celsius, but now they can drop to minus twenty or thirty degrees Celsius.

Even though it was late August, not yet winter, but rather the time of Mid-Autumn Festival and late autumn, the temperature was already very low, and the area inside and outside Shanhaiguan was covered by heavy snow.

The Yanshan Mountains in the north are covered in silver.

On the official road inside the pass, countless dense black dots slowly approached.

Zhu Di, along with a group of civil and military officials, were already waiting at the inner city gate of Shanhaiguan.

Nearly half an hour later, the group, shivering in the wind and snow, finally arrived.

The tall carriage stopped in front of Zhu Di. Old Zhu lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage.

"Your son greets Your Majesty."

"See Your Majesty!"

Zhu Di led everyone to kneel down hastily.

"Well, get up."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked up at the majestic pass. Compared to when he swept through Nahachu at Shanhaiguan Pass, the pass now was clearly more magnificent and spectacular than the one he had Xu Da build in the fourteenth year of Hongwu's reign.

Zhu Di leaned closer and said, "Father, you must be tired from your journey. Let's go inside the pass and rest for a while."

Old Zhu said, "No rush, let's take a look at this pass first."

As he spoke, he put his hands behind his back and walked into the city, looking around as he said, "This pass is well-built, but with 100,000 people stationed there, even a million-strong army might not be able to get in."

"After all, it has been more than two hundred years."

Zhu Di followed behind and casually said, "By the way, Father, the Jurchens sent an envoy yesterday to deliver a letter of surrender, saying they are willing to surrender and compensate the Ming Dynasty for its losses."

"surrender?"

Old Zhu turned his head and glanced at Zhu Di, saying, "Who allowed them to surrender? No."

"Yes, I also felt that Father would not allow it, so I cut off their envoy's head and tore the surrender letter into pieces."

Zhu Di said with a smile.

"Hahahahaha."

Old Zhu laughed loudly and swaggered into the city, saying, "You are indeed my son! I will wipe out the Jurchens and leave only Han people outside the pass!"

His hearty and bold words made everyone present feel as if a giant dragon was roaring in front of them.

Fortunately, they were the ones who followed the dragon, not the Jurchen bandits who stood in front of it!

(End of this chapter)