Ming Dynasty: Summoning game players at the beginning

Chapter 248 There is no way in the world (two chapters in one)

"Huang Ama!"

Hauge's breathing became rapid and his heart beat faster. He rushed forward to support the unconscious Huang Taiji and then shouted for the military doctor.

A group of doctors rushed over and tested His Majesty the Emperor.

Fortunately, Huang Taiji was only "stimulated" by the scene of Khorne, and fainted due to anger. However, his pulse was weaker than after the defeat at Xiongyueyi, and he was afraid that he would not even live for a year.

So Hauge gave orders on his behalf, ordering the entire army to retreat ten miles and set up camp, and then arranged for auxiliary troops to bury the heads and "black charcoal" on the spot.

The sorrow and resentment of losing their families swept over all the bannermen, and Huang Taiji fainted, leaving the Qing army leaderless.

At the critical moment when many citadels in the Liaozhong Plain had fallen, Huang Taiji himself was unconscious, and Hauge had to preside over the government meeting.

However, although Hauge was the emperor's first heir, he was never clearly appointed as the crown prince. He also suffered a crushing defeat in the battle to enter the pass last year. It was difficult for him to crush the princes and nobles with his personal prestige alone.

This was more of a "separation meeting" than a government meeting. The tent was in chaos, and the Manchu, Mongolian and Han princes and nobles were talking at once.

Some people felt that the Han dogs had humiliated the Qing warriors and killed women and children, and they must take revenge and kill all these Han dogs to vent their anger.

But some people refuted it on the spot, "Your Majesty sent 30,000 elite troops to invade Korea. We have picked up countless defeated soldiers along the way, and we only have 60,000 troops on hand. Who knows how many elite Beiwei troops are in Shengjing? 10,000 or 20,000 enemy soldiers can hold off my 100,000-strong army for many days. If there are 20,000 or 30,000 soldiers stationed in the city, it will be more than enough to hold off my 60,000-strong army."

There were also Manchu beile who learned to reflect and believed that it was their excessive cruelty towards the Han people that led to the current situation in the Liaozhong Plain that was on the verge of collapse.

It's like a fragile house built on floating ice, which will collapse after just one or two military failures.

The slaves had suffered under the Eight Banners for a long time, and it would have been fine if they hadn't rebelled, but when they did, it was shocking.

Unfortunately, only a few people know how to reflect on themselves, and most Manchu and Mongolian beile still discriminate against Han people.

Moreover, the Beiwei Army had just "massacred" their families, creating a new blood feud with them. It was simply politically incorrect to talk about "easing the slave policy" at this time.

"Han dogs are the cattle and sheep on the ranch! How dare they ride on their masters' heads!"

Curses and scoldings rang out one after another, and several Manchu and Meng beile almost drew their swords against each other. If the other party was not also a noble, blood would probably have been seen in the tent.

Haoge shouted several times not to attack each other and to be patient, but few people gave him face.

He had just turned thirty years old, and the other beile were all "old cows" in their fifties or sixties. They were all angry about their wives and children being killed, and they were eager to have a duel to cool down.

Fan Wencheng and other Han civil officials were very embarrassed and kept their necks shrunk, fearing that the angry prince would notice them and give them a beating.

In history, as soon as Huang Taiji died, the "naughty kid" Duoduo went to fuck Fan Wencheng's wife, and Fan Wencheng didn't even dare to fart.

The two Han princes, Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming, who had suffered heavy losses in their troops, were not much better off. The surrendered Ming soldiers they incorporated into southern Liaoning were listed separately as the other four flags of the Han army, and the two of them did not provide many additional troops.

Now that Huang Taiji is in a coma, their "value" has plummeted, and Hauge's political skills and military abilities are mediocre.

The "mountain of meat" in the southern suburbs of Shengjing aroused the "anti-Han" sentiment among a group of nobles. Hauge's prestige was certainly not enough to suppress the Eight Banners nobles. They were afraid that the Eight Banners would repel them, the Han army, first.

Fortunately, an old prince repeated the strategic advice of the civil servant Fan Wencheng on his behalf.

Since Shengjing cannot be recaptured, it is better to withdraw all remaining garrisons and withdraw manpower and material resources back to their hometown in Hetuala.

Two years ago, the Qing Dynasty invaded Korea and made the Korean royal family surrender in just over a month. Now, Dorgon and Jirgalang have been ordered to attack Korea, and they can take over the entire country in at most half a year.

By then, they will be able to sit firmly in their homeland and, with North Korea as their back, continue to contend with the Southern Dynasty. Moreover, the Southern Dynasty is already riddled with holes due to the rampant bandits within it.

The Eight Banners soldiers only had to plunder in the Liaozhong Plain from the mountains and forests, constantly bleeding the Southern Dynasty in Liaodong, making it impossible for them to digest the troops steadily.

Once there is any change in the interior, his Eight Banners can retake Liaodong and restore the magnificent territory of the former Wanyan Jin Dynasty.

This suggestion is indeed good, but some people think that it is better to go to the free and vast Korqin grassland than to retreat to the bitter and cold mountains.

It is impossible to go north. Except for the Liaohe Plain, which is a fertile land in Liaodong, the rest of the land is cold and barren forest.

The two sides continued to argue over whether to go west or east.

Kong Youde couldn't help but sigh inwardly that these barbarians had no ambition to dominate the world, and the Qing Dynasty could only have come this far thanks to the heroic leader Huang Taiji.

Without His Majesty, the Qing Dynasty would probably be finished.

Unfortunately, the Beiwei Army would never accept the surrendered Eight Banner soldiers, especially those traitors who had betrayed their country and surrendered to the enemy.

Shang Kexi had been escorted to the Ming court to be executed by slow slicing, and his head was finally chopped off and sent to the nine border areas.

If he and Geng Zhongming wanted to find another way out, they could only choose North Korea.

Kong Youde knew very well how Korea was established. A general named Li stabbed the royal court in the back, which was like a "youthful version" of him wearing the yellow robe.

Since a small border general can do it, how can't he, a prince of the Qing Dynasty with even greater combat power, do it?

If the Tartars chose to advance westward, he would find a pretext to win over Geng Zhongming and "escape" to Korea together, and then look for an opportunity to control the Korean court. For now, he would need to win over as many baoyi and Han slaves as possible to strengthen his own direct military forces.

If the Tartars stayed in Hetuala and conquered the entire Korea, then he would have no choice but to continue to be "loyal" and live with the Qing Dynasty.

The nobles of the Eight Banners were still arguing about the east and west directions. As the defeated soldiers from the nearby garrison sent delayed information, the princes and nobles stopped arguing.

What they received was the outdated version that Daishan had received at that time - the emperor of the Southern Dynasty led the army in person and had already crossed the Songjin line.

Kong Youde thought it was bad, because the Ming Emperor would definitely lead a large number of troops.

Besides, since even the emperor led the army in person, how could other Ming troops not follow suit? If Korea "rebelled", the whole Liaodong would be in chaos.

Not to mention splitting off Korea, even staying in Liaodong became a suicidal option.

However, Dorgon and Jirgalang's troops were still conquering Korea and could not return. How could the remaining Qing troops resist the Southern Dynasty's attack?
If we retreat westward, will we still need the elite troops left in Korea?

Would the Beile of the Eight Banners of Mongolia and Outer Mongolia use an excuse to take their troops and leave, leaving only the Eight Banners of Manchu and Han in the Qing Dynasty to struggle to hold on to the remnants?

For a time, the princes and nobles were in a panic and fell into unwilling despair. Is it really God's will to destroy the Qing Dynasty?

But at this moment, a familiar figure appeared in the meeting tent.

The man was wearing a clean robe, with deep and loose wrinkles on his face, making him look ten years older than before. Bags and dark circles hung under his eyes, and his tired eyes were like two fat cushions turned upside down. Just trying to open them halfway was an effort.

The guards beside him supported his arms on both sides. The man stood in place, looking around indifferently and calmly.

"His Majesty!"

Kong Youde knelt on the ground with a thud. Hauge and a group of nobles were overjoyed when they heard the sound. They left their seats and knelt beside him.

Huang Taiji was supported by someone and slowly walked towards the main seat. Then he lay down on the seat as if he had been tired all day and let out a short sigh.

Seeing that the emperor was still alive, everyone seemed to have found their backbone, and Hauge also felt that a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

Before the nobles even stood up, they looked up and asked His Majesty what the future path of the Qing Dynasty would be.

"I know about your quarrel. Get up now, everyone." Huang Taiji paused after a few words. "Now is not the time for the demise of the Qing Dynasty. Instead, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for resurgence!"

"Your Majesty, what do you mean? The Southern Dynasty Emperor is personally leading the army, and our limited military strength makes it difficult to resist!"

"No, you only saw the enemy's fierce advance, but you didn't realize the weakness of the enemy's multi-pronged attack..." Huang Taiji coughed a few times and drank the hot tea offered by the guard. "Since the young emperor crossed the Songjin line, he must have come from western Liaoning. At this time, the Beiwei Army commander and his fierce soldiers have captured Shengjing, but they are hundreds of miles away from the young emperor."

Huang Taiji paused for a moment and continued, "Even if there are enemy troops in southern Liaoning heading north, they can be divided into several locations with the other two routes, just like when the Southern Dynasty divided its forces into four routes to attack the Qing Dynasty!"

"No matter how many ways the enemy comes, I will only go one way."

"That's right. Ahem... ahem..." Huang Taiji said, "The Beiwei army must have lost their vitality after breaking through several cities in a row. Even if the Ming army in southern Liaoning marches north, it will take time. And the troops in western Liaoning have been severely damaged by our troops. It will take more than a year and a half for them to recover.

Now that the young emperor has come in person to lead the army, he can't bring many soldiers with him. It's high time for the Qing Dynasty to launch a full-scale attack on the young emperor!
If we can capture the young emperor himself and recreate the Tumu Fort disaster in the Southern Dynasty, the Southern Dynasty will be in chaos, the bandits will become stronger, and the Qing Dynasty will seize the opportunity to recapture Liaodong and recruit tens of thousands of elite soldiers. We will even have the opportunity to conquer the Central Plains in the coming days..."

"But how do we know the whereabouts of the little emperor?"

As soon as one of the beile finished speaking, he realized he had made a mistake. Since the Ming Emperor came from western Liaoning, he could only travel through the plain corridor between the ocean and the swamp.

However, cities such as Shengjing and Liaoyang had all fallen, and the Qing Dynasty could not take the Liaodong Plain, so it could only take a detour from Liaobei.

Taking detours has always been the Qing Dynasty’s strong point.

The first time they launched an attack into the Pass, they took a detour to the grasslands and united with the Mongolian tribes. They then broke through Xifengkou and entered the Pass, and were very familiar with the route and landmarks.

Although they were originally surrounded and in a desperate situation, Huang Taiji pointed out the method to defeat the enemy in just a few words, and everyone suddenly felt the dawn of hope shining on their faces.

A group of beile ministers could not help but sigh that Huang Taiji was the pillar of the Qing Dynasty, and without him there would be no Qing Empire.

"The opportunity for battle was fleeting, and the army that had conquered the Korean Empire was no longer able to return.

With the exception of old forts like Hetuala, all garrisons in Liaodong and Liaobei were abandoned, and bannermen over the age of twelve were drafted into the military. All women and children were to take their weapons and provisions and head for the grasslands!

Burn all the garrisons around Shengjing and move northward, making sure the enemy think that the Qing Dynasty dares not fight again and flee north in panic.

In this battle, our soldiers only want to charge at high speed. We don't need artillery, only muskets. Everyone, be alert. I want you to take the longest journey to Liaoxi!

Back then, the old Khan had only tens of thousands of soldiers but dared to fight against the siege of more than 100,000 troops of the Southern Dynasty. In the end, the brave prevailed and he defeated the Southern Dynasty army.

In this battle, the Qing Dynasty will mobilize all its available troops to fight the Southern Dynasty Emperor to the death. If our army is victorious, the Qing Dynasty will rise and fall, avenging the loss of Shengjing! If our army is defeated, I will fight and die with you all!

"Fight to the death!"

"Go south to capture the dragon!"

"Kill all the Han dogs!"

The nobles raised their arms and shouted, as if they wanted to turn all the humiliation and hatred of their family members' deaths into motivation for revenge.

Unfortunately, Huang Taiji coughed a few times and added in his heart that he would not live to see the Central Plains for many months, and could only hope that his descendants would fulfill his wish of entering the Pass.

……

Zhu Youjian personally led an army of 60,000 on the Liaoxi official road. The army did not move fast, barely covering 50 miles a day.

This is the "morale bonus" brought by the emperor personally leading the army, otherwise they would not even be able to march forty miles a day.

The quality of this "temporarily assembled" Western Route Army was not high. It was basically composed of defeated generals who were defeated by the Qing army in the Battle of Songshan, as well as some generals who were ordered to make meritorious contributions while serving their sentences.

Thousands of soldiers from the Beijing Army wore bright and shiny armor, but they looked like they had never fought in a war.

Only the Governor's and Governor-General's Battalions and the Brave Guard Battalion were still usable. The former had a clear plan for advance and retreat and strict military discipline, while the latter always remembered the honor of being "the emperor's personal army" and protected the emperor well in the battle.

The weather was getting colder, and the cold wind was whistling in his ears. The daily march consumed a lot of physical strength, which made Zhu Youjian have a good appetite, as if his body was also tempered in the "difficult situation".

Even though Hong Chengchou, Fang Yizao and other civil and military officials were in charge of marching, setting up camp and logistics, and he had eunuchs such as Wang Chengen serving him, Zhu Youjian still felt that marching and fighting was extremely boring and arduous, and far less relaxing than sitting in the palace reviewing memorials.

He felt a little sympathy for the soldiers' hard work in the cold winter and hot summer, but it only lasted for a moment.

He lived in a warm and luxurious tent, ate the special meals prepared by the chef, and Wang Chengen was in charge of patrolling the camp. The eunuchs who accompanied him bathed and changed his clothes for him. Occasionally, he would go to the military tent where the brazier was placed to listen to the military discussions between the civil and military officials.

No matter how much empathy Zhu Youjian felt, he could only share superficial sympathy. He would occasionally show some insignificant pity and wave his hand to reward the man with some silver.

But when he thought of the tight financial situation, he gave up the idea of ​​improving the soldiers' wages.

Hong Chengchou and others tried to persuade him to stay in the safe rear along the way, saying that even staying in Ningyuan was better than going to the front line, but Zhu Youjian kept refusing.

It was not until news of the great victories in Haizhou and Liaoyang arrived that the civil officials' admonitions subsided.

Even they felt that the southern army was unstoppable, that the Qing Dynasty seemed to have no soldiers left to fight, and that the recovery of Liaodong seemed just around the corner.

Civil and military officials began to congratulate His Majesty on his great fortune. He had just led the army halfway through the war and blessed the soldiers to capture most of the Liaodong territory.

Zhu Youjian couldn't help but feel elated, thinking that his "risky move" of leading the army in person was the right one, which inspired the soldiers to fight bravely and recover lost territory.

This time, by recovering the lost territory of Liaodong, I can surpass the emperor and my elder brother in achievement, right?
Zhu Youjian imagined that his name would be recorded in history. Whenever future generations mentioned his name, Emperor Chongzhen, they would sigh and say, "Oh, it turns out that he was the leader who turned the tide and recovered the ancestral land. He did a great job and did not bring shame to his Zhu family."

Zhu Youjian also thought of the "loyal" Beiwei soldiers who fought bloody battles for him for many days.

When he arrives in front of the Beiwei Army who are shouting "Long live the Emperor" and "I am infinitely loyal to the Emperor", they will probably faint with excitement.

He then waved his hand to promote the warriors to higher positions, creating a series of good stories between the monarch and his subjects, and his Ming Dynasty continued to prosper.

Civil officials and military generals were also very happy.

The soldiers were relieved that they did not have to fight the Tartars to the death. While preserving their strength, they could also use their military merits to recover Liao to get promoted and make money. According to their military merits, they could be "enfeoffed" with thousands or tens of thousands of acres of hereditary military land. Everyone had a bright future.

The civil officials were happy about the recovery of Liaodong, as they gained a source of revenue and taxation and could support tens of thousands of elite troops.

At that time, we will dispatch the brave soldiers from Liaodong to enter the pass to suppress the bandits. Within three years, we will be able to completely wipe out the beggar bandits, the rebel bandits, the western bandits and other bandits, and truly revive the Ming Dynasty.

The civilian officials accompanying the army even began to discuss who would be the first real "Governor of Liaodong" after the recovery of Liaodong?
You have to know that after Liaodong was recovered, there was a lot of work to be done, and it was also a perfect opportunity to take advantage of the opportunity to make money.

Any shop, house or land can accumulate wealth for generations just by changing hands.

Although Fang Yizao was already the governor of Liaodong, he had no jurisdiction over the "occupied areas" of Liaodong before.

Now that Liaodong is about to be recovered, he also wants to completely consolidate his position as the Governor of Liaodong.

According to the procedure, he had to "persuade" the officials in the court.

However, the emperor was right in front of him, so he only needed to persuade other governors, military supervisors, and grain supervisors to say a few good words in front of the emperor. After all, the governor of Liaodong understood Liao affairs better.

Of course, Fang Yizao was not stingy either, and generously offered to sell the Liaodong shops, land, and workshops that he had not yet acquired...

If the governor finds it troublesome, the above-mentioned property can be converted into silver and sent to his residence.

So during the march these days, the civil officials, apart from discussing matters related to the post-war governance of Liaodong in front of the emperor, gathered together to discuss the exchange of interests.

What about exchanging hundreds of heads in exchange for the pardon of relatives and friends, what about adding thousands of acres of fertile land here, and what about how the various military generals should arrange their garrisons after taking back Liaodong.

Those who paid money were arranged to stay in the fertile Acropolis, while those who did not pay were arranged to stay in the barren areas.

As for the greatest contributor, the Beiwei Army, he will definitely be able to eat a big piece of fat meat, but he cannot be asked to eat it all.

If the Beiwei Army could be "more generous" and give up some of the fat meat to the masters to share, then everyone could live in peace when guarding Liaodong in the future.

But if the Beiwei Army "does not appreciate the emperor's favor" and takes advantage of the emperor's favor to eat for themselves, then don't worry about them trying to trip you up and make things difficult for you behind your back.

After all, the Beiwei Army relied almost entirely on a small part of its army to defeat the main force of the Nu chieftain and then went north to recapture Liaodong. This was already a great achievement that surpassed the main force and was extremely dangerous.

They just need to make a few suggestions to Your Majesty.

For example, the commander of the Beiwei Army is good at commanding the army, so it would be better to transfer him to Jibei to guard Xuanda and guard against the northern barbarians.

This would also cut off the connection between the Beiwei Army and the Liao people, preventing the military from expanding and separatist forces in Liaodong. It would strengthen the defense of the capital and preserve the reputation of the Beiwei Army, preventing the Beiwei Army commander from being "crowned yellow."

Your Majesty, who is always suspicious, will agree.

Once the Beiwei Army, who were originally from Liaodong, left their "hometown", they became like floating duckweed at the mercy of the civil officials, and the land of Liaodong became the fat meat they shared.

However, just as the civil officials were planning the future of Liaodong, the scouts on guard around suddenly returned to warn that a large number of enemy cavalry suddenly appeared in the north.

Hong Chengchou looked towards the north in surprise, and the enemy vanguard soon appeared at the end of his sight.

Weren’t the Tatars defeated by the Beiwei Army? How come they suddenly appeared on the flank of the Western Route Army!

(End of this chapter)