Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 242 I want to clash with Zhu Yuanzhang!
The heavy snow in Liaodong severely slowed down the Ming army's march.

If it's just a light cavalry deployment, that's fine.

The snow, which is ankle-deep, may not be enough for a horse to gallop, but it is enough for a slow march.

The horses of the Ming Dynasty were all Mongolian horses brought from Mongolia by Shanxi merchants. They were known for their endurance and cold resistance, making them suitable for long journeys.

However, the Ming army also brought a large number of rapid-fire cannons.

The thick snow and the rugged roads made the march extremely slow, with only about ten kilometers a day.

However, Old Zhu didn't care.

He enjoyed this unhurried, oppressive feeling, step by step, making the other person feel despair.

After occupying Jinzhou, Zhu De moved into the city and waited for subsequent supplies to arrive.

About seven or eight days later, Zhu Yunfeng sent another batch of cotton-padded clothes and dozens of tons of marching rations to ensure the army could continue fighting.

These were all purchased by Jihe from Hyundai under the name of Yunfeng Company.

Today, Yunfeng Group is a large and powerful company with total assets of tens of billions of yuan. This is before it goes public. If it were to go public, its market value would probably soar to hundreds of billions of yuan.

If ordinary people were to purchase such a large amount of supplies at once, they would inevitably face a variety of problems.

However, Yunfeng Group is involved in various industries, employing hundreds of thousands of people and has become a pillar enterprise in the local area, affecting tax revenue and employment. Therefore, the government provides preferential treatment in various aspects, reducing many unnecessary troubles.

With the support of modern resources, the Ming army's combat effectiveness and ability to withstand cold climates have greatly increased, making them completely unafraid of wind and snow.

However, the Manchu Jurchens remained stuck in their old way of thinking.

Jinzhou is more than 200 kilometers away from Shenyang. Although Dorgon sensed the danger in advance and quickly withdrew from Jinzhou, he was also hindered by the wind and snow. He marched about 20 kilometers a day and returned to Shenyang more than ten days later.

mid-September.

In just half a month, the Qing dynasty had lost Ningyuan and Jinzhou, the Ningjin front, which greatly shocked the Qing court.

After Dorgon returned to Shenyang, he was soon questioned.

Before Emperor Shunzhi personally led the expedition, power was dominated by the Council of Princes, which included not only the banner lords but also other princes, dukes, and beizi.

Around noon, before arriving, Dorgon had discussed the matter with Fan Wencheng for a long time. Fan Wencheng knew that he was on the list of those who were destined to die. Upon hearing the news brought by Dorgon, he also understood that for the Qing Dynasty, fleeing back to the north was the only option at present.

Although Huang Taiji relied heavily on Fan Wencheng, and both Huang Taiji and Dorgon would consult him on political and strategic matters, at least for the time being, power in the Qing Dynasty was still in the hands of the Council of Princes.

Therefore, after discussion, Fan Wencheng chose to support Dorgon's idea, but ultimately, the strategy could only be implemented after everyone at the meeting of princes agreed.

The atmosphere inside Chongzheng Hall was solemn at this moment.

Before Dorgon could even bring up the matter of withdrawing from Shenyang, Hauge had already started making trouble, saying sarcastically, "Uncle Wang didn't fight a single battle, first he lost Ningyuan and then Jinzhou, and then he slunk back to Shenyang. How impressive!"

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Dodo angrily said, "How come the Ming people defeated us with only a hundred men at Shanhaiguan? You were there, weren't you? Ningyuan was easily captured by the Ming people. Are we just waiting for the entire army to be wiped out if we leave it in Jinzhou?"

In fact, most of the princes and nobles present participated in the battle at Shanhaiguan. After all, it was a battle to seize Shanhaiguan, and the Manchus and Jurchens had basically mobilized all their forces.

Apart from Daišan being in poor health, almost all the princes, dukes, beiles, and beizi of the imperial clan, including Jirhalang, Hauge, Ajige, Abatai, Luoluohun, Mandahai, Nikan, and Bolo, participated in it.

Abatai's son, Bolo, was even killed by Zhou An. Many people witnessed the strength of the Ming army in that battle.

Therefore, after Dodo finished speaking, there was a slight silence in the room.

But after a moment, Jirhalang frowned and said, "No matter what, we shouldn't have lost so many cities. This way, the enemy can advance unimpeded, and Shenyang will be the first to be hit without any resistance."

"We have already submitted our surrender document, but the Ming people have made it clear that they will not accept our submission. It is normal for them to continue to attack and seize territory. We cannot hold Jinzhou. Perhaps withdrawing the troops and holding Shenyang would not be a bad thing."

Dai Shan spoke a fair word.

As the elder brother of Dorgon and Dodo, Ajige actually had some disagreements with his two younger brothers, and was therefore excluded from the center of power.

However, he still stood by them in this situation, saying, "Jinzhou is close to the interior, and the Ming army is powerful. How easy is it to defeat them in Ningyuan and Jinzhou? The weather is getting colder and colder. Let's withdraw the troops back to Shenyang. Shenyang is far from Jinzhou, and it gets colder the further north we go. Their supplies will inevitably fall behind, and then we will have a chance to cut off their supplies and defeat them. In my opinion, retreating to Shenyang is not a mistake. As for Jinzhou and Ningyuan, we can find a way to take them back later."

"That's easy for you to say."

Seeing that the situation seemed to be turning against him, Hauge immediately said, "Yesterday we lost Ningyuan, today we lost Jinzhou, and tomorrow we won't even be able to hold Shenyang. The morale of the soldiers is already very low. If we retreat again, their morale will probably plummet to rock bottom. The Mongols in Khorchin and Chahar have been making moves recently. We asked them to send reinforcements. Have you heard from them yet? If this continues, the Mongol Eight Banners will all scatter."

"Shenyang cannot be defended."

It was only at this moment that Dorgon, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke up: "I suggest we withdraw from Shenyang and go to Harawen. After Zhu Yuanzhang and the others leave, we can then find a way to take back what we have lost."

After he finished speaking, everyone except Dorgon stared at him in shock, and the room fell into a brief silence.

Hauge was overjoyed at the sight and pointed at Dorgon, shouting to the others, "You all saw it! Erqike is even giving up Shenyang. This was conquered by Mafa. Father worked so hard to maintain it back then, and now he's lost it all. He doesn't even want Shenyang anymore. Let's just split up."

"Dorgon, do you know what you're saying?"

Daishan was also furious, looking at him with great displeasure and saying, "This is the foundation of our ancestors, are you going to lose it?"

Dorgon shook his head and said, "It cannot be defended; fleeing is for the sake of our ancestors' legacy."

How do you know we can't hold on?

Do you know how Ningyuan was lost?

"How did you lose it?"

"Then Zhu Yuanzhang summoned a divine messenger who hovered in the sky and ordered all the soldiers in the city to lay down their weapons and surrender. The soldiers were as if they were possessed by ghosts and gods, and they all did as he said."

Dodo glared angrily, waving his hands and shouting at them, "It was the scouts we sent out who saw it with their own eyes! They truly saw the celestial messengers from heaven. They were also discovered, and died far away, not even knowing how they died. There was no one around, and both men and horses collapsed. Only one escaped back, but he died not long after. Do you think we can defeat the Ming people, defeat the gods hovering above us?"

"What bullshit gods! You're all just cowards!"

Hauge, not to be outdone, stood up from his chair, put his hands on his hips, and glared at the Dorgon brothers, saying, "Even if nothing else, you should at least try to fight the Ming people. If you can't win, then retreat. How can you do this to your father and grandfather?"

Dodo angrily said to him, "Hauge, do you still know that we are your 'Eqike'? Remember your identity. You are no longer a prince. You are now a criminal. The only reason you are allowed to attend is because you are the banner lord of the Plain Blue Banner. Don't be too presumptuous!"

Hearing his words, Hauge wanted to continue arguing with him, but after looking around and seeing that no one was speaking up for him, he finally sat back down in his chair, crossed his arms, and said, "No matter what, giving up Shenyang is absolutely not an option. I still maintain that I propose to dismiss Regent Erqike. He is no longer suitable to lead us."

In April of this year, Hauge berated Dorgon and his brothers, and Dorgon used this as a pretext to strip him of his title of Prince Su of the First Rank. However, his status as the banner lord of the Plain Blue Banner could not be stripped, so Hauge still held military power and was able to attend this meeting.

If Hauge had spoken to Dorgon and his brothers in this tone before, Dorgon would probably have found a reason to imprison him. However, after the Battle of Shanhai Pass, Dorgon suffered a crushing defeat. Now, having lost Ningyuan and Jinzhou, he was no longer respected at the council of princes. If Hauge were to be punished further, everyone else would feel insecure, potentially causing infighting between the two White Banners and the other six banners.

Therefore, Dorgon calmly said, "That's how it is. I judge that the Ming people are not to be defeated by force, and the only option is to avoid their sharp edge. I heard that the Ming Taizu (Emperor Hongwu) exhausted all his divine power to descend to the mortal realm, and he won't stay there for long. He will return next year at the latest. It would be unwise to fight them at this time."

"But leaving Shenyang is still a very important matter. Should we discuss it further?"

Jirhalang smoothed things over.

"My idea is to leave Shenyang and not fight them. If you all feel that you must stay, I will not force you. I will hand over the power of the regent and station two white flags in Fushun, Puhe and other places."

Dorgon said, "At that time, the Six Banners will hold Shenyang firmly. If we can fight, we will fight. I will be outside the city to support you. If we cannot fight, the day the city falls will be the day I leave Shenyang and return north. In this way, we will still have a foundation and will not be wiped out."

Dai Shan thought for a moment, then looked at everyone and said, "What do you all think? Should we stay or leave?"

"."

"Let's go."

"Why leave? We finally get to enjoy some wealth and luxury, and now we're going back to this cold and desolate place?"

"Are we just going to stay here and wait to die? The Ming people have divine intervention."

“We also have the protection of the gods. Perhaps we can find a shaman to perform an Aurena Leng, and ask the gods to descend to earth.”

"Will it work?"

"No matter what, I feel I can't give up Shenyang. It's too cold in the north, and I don't want to leave here."

After a brief silence, the princes, dukes, and beile began to discuss among themselves.

Although they had witnessed the strength of the Ming army, their understanding was limited. They had only seen the power of automatic rifles, not the power of rapid-fire cannons, and they did not understand that the city walls were like paper in front of rapid-fire cannons.

Secondly, as the saying goes, it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. They used to live in tents outside the Great Wall, wearing cow and sheep skins, sleeping with dark-skinned women, and living a life of raw meat and blood.

Now, however, he lives in a luxurious mansion, eats gourmet food, and enjoys the company of fair-skinned Han Chinese women. His living conditions are many times better than before.

If we send them away from Shenyang to the desolate and icy Greater Khingan Mountains, what's the difference between that and exile?
It was even worse than exile.

Because Ningguta, where criminals were exiled during the Qing Dynasty, was located in the Mudanjiang area, which is only about 600 kilometers away from Shenyang.

Dorgon's proposed location, Harawen, was in the Greater Khingan Mountains, in the area between Qiqihar and Mohe in later times, about 800-900 kilometers from Shenyang.

This is just the straight-line distance; the actual distance is over 1000 kilometers.

Moreover, in later generations, the winter temperature in that area remained at minus 20 or 30 degrees Celsius year-round, and in Mohe further north, the average temperature was more than minus 30 degrees Celsius.

Temperatures were even lower during the Little Ice Age, averaging around -40 degrees Celsius, and often dropping to -50 degrees Celsius.

Is this a place for humans to live in such cold weather?

Seeing that most people overlooked the strength of the Ming army and chose not to leave this prosperous place, Dorgon's eyes showed even greater disappointment.

They had clearly seen it all, so why would they risk the annihilation of their entire tribe by staying here?
We could have avoided their attack and retaliated later.

Why stay here and wait to die?
Perhaps Adou (Dodo) is right. These people do lack foresight, so we shouldn't bother with them. It would be better to preserve our own strength and retreat from Shenyang.

Thinking of this, Dorgon said, "Since everyone wants to stay, I'll say it again, I won't force you. Those who want to leave can come with me to garrison outside the city. Defending a city should involve dividing forces for support. If we can hold the city, I will personally apologize to His Majesty. If we can't hold it, we can still help you evacuate. This is the best solution."

"Then you may take your two white flags with you."

Hauge waved his hand and said, "We have a large force and so many cannons on the city walls. I don't believe the Ming army can conquer it. You can apologize to His Majesty in person then."

"Well, that's decided then."

Daishan, who held a high political position, nodded and said, "Now that the Ming army is coming on strong, it is inevitable that we will have to take a step back. Dorgon, you should wait outside the city for an opportunity to act. If you have the chance, cut off the Ming army's supply lines. This will also increase our chances of winning."

"it is good."

Dorgon verbally agreed, but in his heart he was scheming how to use his power to take more supplies out of the city and expedite their transport to the north before the Ming army arrived, so as to avoid the shortage of supplies in the north and the difficulty of establishing a foothold there later.

"There must be a commander in the city."

Haug tentatively said.

Dorgon said, "I propose that Prince Zheng take command."

Dai Shan nodded and said, "I agree."

Jirhalang remained silent.

The others also agreed.

After all, Jirgalang was quite capable, but he was not a descendant of Nurhaci, but Nurhaci's nephew, which is why Dorgon sidelined him. Otherwise, he would have been one of the only two regents.

"Humph."

Haug snorted coldly.

Jirhalang then said, "Then I propose Hauge as the deputy general."

Everyone knew he was trying to appease Hauge, so they didn't say anything and simply said, "Let's arrange it this way."

Hauge was overjoyed. Although he was Jirgalang's deputy, Jirgalang still had the same problem: he was not a direct descendant of Nurhaci. Sooner or later, this power would return to his own hands.

Hauge then said, “I agree. I don’t care who Zhu Yuanzhang is. If he dares to come, I will kill him. Please rest assured, Your Highnesses, our Plain Blue Banner will go all out in this battle and will not be as cowardly as some people.”

As he spoke, he glanced at Dorgon, the meaning of which was self-evident.

"Good, brother, well done."

"Yes, be more alert."

"We can't afford to lose face with the Ming army here."

Everyone offered encouragement, and for a moment, Hauge's recklessness and ignorance emboldened the people in the hall.

Only Dorgon and his brother Dodo looked at him as if he were a dead man.

(End of this chapter)