Ming Dynasty: Summoning game players at the beginning

Chapter 257 After you sing, I will appear on stage

The Ming army following behind was like a hunter whose beloved dog was eaten by a hungry wolf. They chased the Qing army for hundreds of miles, forcing the latter to abandon a large amount of weapons, armor and baggage to reduce their load and increase their escape speed.

The Ming army retreated after three days of pursuit. Some of the Mongolian beile from the outer vassal states disappeared with their troops, and the bondservants were either killed or escaped.

Only after they escaped to a safe area did Hauge and the other princes have the time to check the number of people and equipment.

Putting aside Dorgon and Jirgalang who attacked Korea, there were only 47,964 male residents left in the Eight Banners of Manchu, Mongolian and Han people, less than 20% of whom had female relatives and children. Almost all the underage males died on the way to escape, and the number of bondservants left was less than 5,000.

When Hauge thought about the eight banners of Manchu, Mongolian and Han, plus the total population of Outer Mongolia, which exceeded 180,000, and the population of bondservants was more than 200,000, and then looked at the present—

The territory and population of the Qing Dynasty shattered like a fallen clay pot, and could no longer support the name of an empire. It could only barely be the Khan of a grassland.

Including the livestock that escaped with them, the army's food reserves could barely last for half a year. If it exceeded half a year, they would have to eat their own spare horses, or even their own war horses.

Although the grasslands in the north and south of the desert are vast, they cannot produce much food to feed the people. This is why the nomadic tribes have never been able to increase their population.

If the grassland suffers a disaster, a large number of herders will starve. If they want to survive, they have to go south to rob food and people.

The feud between nomadic peoples and agricultural civilization was doomed until iterative technology developed highly efficient killing weapons, which enabled the nomadic peoples to sing and dance.

Hauge looked at the big tent that had been set up. He had just worked with the prince to carry the emperor in.

The emperor's breath was very weak. He had just regained some consciousness, but after drinking a bowl of porridge, he fell asleep again.

The Qing Empire suffered a disastrous defeat in the decisive battle in which everything was at stake, and it was completely damaged. There was no possibility of recovery, and the civil and military officials once again fell into confusion and chaos.

When a country is on the rise, contradictions and conflicts can be covered up. However, when the national strength gradually declines and the interests that can be divided become smaller and smaller, contradictions and conflicts will surface and become uncontrollable.

The quarrels between the beile and Gushan Ezhen became more and more frequent, and Hauge had no choice but to go and make a judgment as the crown prince.

He stole his packhorse, he took away his bondservants, he quarreled with the Han prince, and the long-suppressed contradictions between the Manchus, Mongols and Han people...

Haoge once took charge of the Ministry of Revenue of the Qing Dynasty, but it was not as tedious and stressful as it is today.

The cold wind was howling on the grassland, and the bondservants in the temporary tents were shivering with cold. After a few days, hundreds of people had suffered frostbite.

Just when everyone thought it was time to split up and pursue their own "future", the tent where the emperor was was opened.

Huang Taiji lifted the curtain of the tent a little and looked at the setting sun in the west.

He used to like watching the sunset glow, which seemed to cover the sky with a red and gold gauze, but now the sunset seemed to be his body, and once it fell, it would never rise again.

Seeing Huang Taiji wake up, a group of princes and ministers gathered around, many of them with tears in their eyes, as if they were watching a dead person's coffin being carried to the cemetery.

Everyone knows that the disastrous defeat at Dujiatun was not a strategic mistake by the emperor.

It was simply because the soldiers of the Black Flag Battalion were too ferocious. They shattered the foolproof strategy solely by relying on tactics and individual abilities.

Everyone had sad faces or tears streaming down their cheeks as they expressed their blessings to the emperor who had led them to progress for more than ten years, hoping that he would recover and lead them to create glory again.

Huang Taiji smiled kindly and waved and nodded to the familiar faces.

He signaled his subordinates to bring a few horses, and wanted to go out and talk with Hauge and other Aisin Gioro family members.

His strength seemed to have recovered much more than during the Dujiatun battle, and he didn't even need anyone's help to walk.

But anyone with a discerning eye knows that this is just an illusion brought about by a last gasp of life, and that the Emperor's every move is burning with the last candle of life.

The emperor and a group of princes mounted their war horses.

He patted Aobai's shoulder, and the latter burst into tears, "Do one last errand for me..."

Oboi obeyed the order and tied the emperor's legs to the horse's belly with ropes.

The royal family members of the Qing Dynasty set out on horseback. The speed of the horses' hooves was not fast, only slightly faster than a human trot.

Hauge and Huang Taiji rode side by side, while the other clan members lagged behind by one horse's length.

The father and son did not discuss life and death, but only the future of the Qing Dynasty. "Dorgon and Jirgalang, who are conquering Korea, hold 30,000 bannermen and bondsmen. Send someone to contact them as soon as possible, otherwise the Ming army will invade Korea first, and the 30,000 men will be..."

"I'll do it right away."

Haoge's voice was tinged with sobs, and he tried hard to hold back the tears. Although the relationship between father and son had always been bleak, his father spent the last moments of his life making plans and offering advice for the Qing Dynasty.

This spirit of never giving in completely impressed Hauge.

At this moment, he finally realized that the emperor was not only the monarch of the Qing Dynasty, but also his familiar yet unfamiliar father.

"Send some troops to continue the expedition to the Sauron tribes and add more men to my Eight Banners of Manchuria."

"My son, I know..."

"Your wife and daughter died in Shengjing. You must choose a powerful Mongolian prince to be your son-in-law. My Qing dynasty couldn't keep Liaodong, but we were able to gain a foothold in the steppes south of the desert..." Huang Taiji didn't turn his head to look, but he could hear Hauge's sobbing voice. "Don't be sad, don't be discouraged. Although my Qing dynasty has suffered heavy losses and can no longer return to its peak, we still have a chance to bite off the fat of the Southern Dynasty."

Hauge's throat was choked with sobs and he couldn't utter a word in response. He could only force out a few muffled groans to show that he was listening.

"Half of the Southern Dynasty's elite troops were lost in Songjin, and they suffered heavy losses in Dujiatun. They no longer have any elite troops left to fight, and can only rely on the Black Flag Battalion and the Beiwei Army to fight.

However, the Black Flag Camp is in the heart of the Southern Dynasty, the Beiwei Army is in Liaodong outside the Great Wall, and the elite troops of the Nine Borders of the Southern Dynasty were almost lost in Songjin and Dujiatun, and it is difficult to replenish them at once. Xuanda Yanjing must be short of troops.

All you have to do is gather your troops and wait for the opportunity. When the Black Flag Camp or the Beiwei Army rebel, you can take advantage of the civil unrest in the Southern Dynasty and attack each other. Then you can gather 30,000 elite troops and march south to capture the Southern Dynasty emperor and seek your own interests..."

Hauge was slightly stunned when he heard this, and looked at his tired-looking father curiously, "But the Southern Dynasty relies on two powerful armies, how could they force them to rebel?"

"I have been collecting information on what's happening inside the Great Wall. The Black Flag Battalion hates corrupt officials and the powerful gentry, viewing the pillars of the nation as enemies. The Beiwei Army is just as hostile to evil, and even more brutal and tyrannical, making them disliked by the bureaucrats and gentry.

Although these two tribes fought bravely, their achievements in the restoration of Liao have now surpassed their master's. As the saying goes, there can't be two tigers on one mountain, and two masters on one country. These two tribes haven't spent money to curry favor with the officials in the court, and no one has spoken well of them, so they must be feared by the officials of the Southern Dynasty.

I predict that within a year, the Emperor of the Southern Dynasty and the other officials will begin to reduce the military power of these two tribes. If these two tribes are too loyal, their troops will be dispersed by the court, just like five fingers scattered and unable to form a combined force. The bandits inside the pass will take advantage of this opportunity to grow stronger.

If these two groups were to act treacherous and appear loyal, given the temperament of these fierce soldiers, they would surely cause chaos in more than ten provinces of the Southern Dynasty.

If you take advantage of the Southern Dynasty's weakened military strength and enter the pass, capturing their emperor and crown prince, the Southern Dynasty, leaderless, will surely usher in a new, young emperor.

However, the Southern Dynasty had suffered several major defeats, and the central authority had declined. The new emperor had no prestige at the time of his establishment, and the generals in various places would certainly hold their own troops and attack each other instead of coming to the rescue.

However, the Southern Dynasty still had beggar bandits and rebels who had not been eliminated, and the Western bandits were rising. By then, the huge Southern Dynasty would have been torn apart.

My Great Qing might not be able to conquer the Central Plains, but it is more than enough to take over Yanyun or the northwest, and even the land north of the Yellow River...

If the internal strife continues for more than ten years and still fails to bring about unification, you and your son will still have a chance to rule the Central Plains."

Huang Taiji's insightful analysis made Haoge's scalp tingle and his whole body sweat, as if a surge of heat was rushing into his body.

The originally bleak future suddenly became exciting.

If he continues to move forward along this path, his Qing Dynasty will still have goals to strive for!
Hauge felt that his father was worthy of being the emperor. Even when he was in a desperate situation, he could still come up with a strategy to revive himself.

Unfortunately, the weather is not good and the emperor’s health cannot hold on for much longer.

If God gives the Emperor another ten years, the Qing Dynasty will surely turn defeat into victory and rule the Central Plains!
After Huang Taiji finished speaking about his final strategy for the Qing Dynasty, the breath that had been hanging in his heart dissipated, and he suddenly became listless, like a mimosa that had been touched.

Huang Taiji sighed inwardly that he had spent his whole life in the military and was almost about to realize his lifelong wish, but God wanted to play a joke on him and shatter his dream of ruling the Central Plains, just like a mortal teasing a tiny ant on the ground.

All of this is to blame on the Black Flag Battalion and the Beiwei Army...

"Since the Qing Dynasty was born, why did the Black Flag exist..."

Huang Taiji sighed sadly, then took a deep breath of cold air, mustered all the courage in his body, whipped the warhorse under him, and the horse galloped out with a wheezing sound.

Upon seeing this, Hauge and other members of the royal family kicked their horses' bellies and followed closely behind the emperor, their horses' hooves splashing cement-like flowers behind them.

Huang Taiji seemed to have returned to his youth, riding a horse and galloping on the battlefield with his father Khan.

He waved his whip and roared his final cry towards the sky as if venting his anger, as if vomiting out his soul, "Enter the pass! Enter the pass! Enter the pass!" After shouting three times, Huang Taiji's voice stopped abruptly.

He suddenly saw a clear figure emerging in the distance. It was the woman he loved most in his life.

A woman was holding a child less than a year old, smiling and waving at him. There were other women and children standing not far away, and even his eldest brother and father Khan who had already passed away.

They stood in the distance and shouted a few silent words at him, then turned around and walked away quickly.

Don't go!

Huang Taiji reached out to grab them, but he was always one step behind his loved ones.

He grabbed and grabbed, putting all trivial matters behind his mind, pouring all the strength from the depths of his soul into his hands and feet, and finally, after taking the next hundred steps, he grabbed the wrist of the woman he loved most.

The woman nodded and smiled at him, then walked away hand in hand with him.

Halfway through the journey, Huang Taiji subconsciously looked back. The rider who had just been whipping his horse and galloping had already fallen on his horse's back and was dead. Behind him, Haoge and the Qing royal family were crying and chasing after him...

As a cold wind blew across the hay on the ground, the hay swayed from side to side, making a rustling sound as if someone was singing -

"Chi Le Chuan, at the foot of the Yin Mountains. The sky is like a dome, covering the vast expanse. The sky is vast, the expanse is boundless. The wind blows the grass low, revealing cattle and sheep..."

Huang Taiji smiled bitterly and shook his head, reconciling with his past in his heart. Then he took the woman's hand and ran towards his family who were waiting in front.

This man ascended the throne of Khan when the Great Jin Dynasty was about to collapse. After more than ten years of hard work, he transformed a tribal alliance into a powerful feudal empire.

This emperor, who created a powerful empire with his own hands, died on horseback, galloping towards the distance.

……

Zhu Youjian woke up from his coma and saw an unfamiliar roof. The room was quiet, with only the sound of one person's breathing coming and going.

Where is this place?

Zhu Youjian's mind was a mess and he felt dizzy, as if he had eaten a hallucinogenic mushroom.

It seemed that the sound of him getting out of bed startled the person dozing next to him. He saw Wang Chengen stand up with a confused look on his face, and then he came up to him with surprise as if he had seen a treasure.

Wang Daban was also there. Could it be that the two of them had already gone to the underworld?
He hurriedly asked which level of the underworld this was and why the Ox-Head and Horse-Faced Demons did not come to arrest him.

"Your Majesty, we are all alive! It was General Li who led the army to rescue you and repel the Tartar army! We are all alive and well!"

"All alive?"

Zhu Youjian was somewhat incredulous. He stretched out his hands and pinched Wang Chengen's cheeks, pulling them outwards. He only heard the latter's painful cries for mercy, and then he realized that he was still alive.

They are still alive!

He has been escorted to Ningyuan by the army.

Zhu Youjian suddenly remembered what Wang Chengen had just said, that General Li led his troops to rescue him.

"Li Qing won!" Zhu Youjian's voice was trembling. He raised his finger and pointed at Wang Chengen's mouth, hoping that the other party would say more heartwarming words.

"Yes, Your Majesty! General Li defeated the Tatars with a smaller force, driving them back for hundreds of miles and beheading 23,400 of them. This is another great victory!"

Wang Chengen continued to report the details reported by the civil and military officials with his head down.

Wang Chengen's vivid performance seemed to recreate a splendid decisive battle. When he talked about the exciting parts, he pretended to be a mighty general holding up a spear and knocking the enemy to the ground. Then he pretended to be a Tartar begging for mercy. Every word he said showed his cowardice and humility.

Wang Chengen's wonderful performance was like a bomb exploding in Zhu Youjian's mind, making his skull buzz.

Zhu Youjian clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly, closed his eyes and savored the details of the great victory, breathing rapidly, like a drowning man who had almost drowned and climbed onto the shore, desperately breathing fresh air to dispel the feeling of suffocation.

He survived and the chief was defeated!

"Good! Good! Good!" Zhu Youjian shouted three times in a row, then raised his fists high, shouting excitedly like a child who had received a reward for getting a perfect score on an exam, "I have defeated the Eastern Tartar chieftain Huang Taiji! I have recovered Liaodong, which even my father and brother the emperor could not! Hahahahahaha! I have defeated the Eastern Tartars, and my Ming Dynasty is invincible!"

"Your Majesty is blessed with great fortune. Recovering Liaodong today is an achievement that surpasses the Han and Tang dynasties. People all over the world will praise your Majesty's name..." Wang Chengen squeezed his face and forced a flattering smile.

"Hahahahahaha!" Zhu Youjian couldn't stop laughing at the thought of leaving his name in history.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he glanced around the room tentatively, "Where is my trusted and beloved general, Li Qing? He knew the enemy was overwhelmingly powerful, yet he still risked his life to save me! Li Qing has not failed me, and I cannot fail him! Quickly summon Li Qing, I want to reward him in person!"

"Report to Your Majesty..."

Wang Cheng'en repeated the news told by the civil officials. It turned out that Li Qing was concerned about the safety of the emperor. He ordered the civil and military officials to escort the emperor back to a safe place in western Liaoning. He then led tens of thousands of troops back to Liaodong to hunt down the remnants of the Tartars in the surrounding areas.

Just to offer Your Majesty a stable and secure Liaodong one day.

"Mr. Li has just experienced a bloody battle and is now running around again. He is truly a loyal minister!" Zhu Youjian roared to the sky, tears welling up in his eyes.

He really made me cry to death.

"Mr. Li has served me with untold loyalty and sacrifice, expending countless lives and sweat. His merit in recovering Liao and rescuing the emperor is a reward. I believe no one will complain if I grant him a dukedom! What do you think, Wang Daban?"

"Ah?" Wang Chengen's expression shrank, and he hurriedly said that he was just the emperor's servant and did not dare to discuss the government rewards and punishments. It would be better to invite all the ministers to discuss state affairs.

Zhu Youjian then accepted the proposal with great enthusiasm and announced that an interim reward and punishment meeting would be held in Ningyuan.

Even though the contributions of the Southern Army soldiers were undisputed, some ministers still found fault with them, saying that it was too shocking to confer the title of Duke of Li Mu.

Since the Jiajing period, there have been very few civil and military officials who have been awarded titles for military merit. After all, titles are hereditary and cannot be easily bestowed.

Even if there are civil and military officials who can be awarded titles for their merits, they should be suppressed by some honorary titles to ensure that there are no more rewards.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Youjian offered not the title of Earl, but the title of Duke. Even the commander of the Beiwei Army was to be conferred the title of Marquis.

The civil officials righteously pointed out, "Too generous a reward would only increase the appetite of the warriors. Currently, most of the elite troops of the Ming Dynasty have been killed, and there is almost no one available.

Although the Eastern Tartars outside the Great Wall were pacified, the bandits within were growing stronger. Under the slogan of "no tax collection," the rebels had already seized three prefectures in Guanzhong, and the King of Han and his family were killed. Western bandits also invaded Jiangxi.

Whether it is the remnants of the Tartars outside the pass or the bandits rising up inside the pass, they need to rely on the two fierce troops of the Black Flag Camp and the Beiwei Army.

But if General Li and General Zhang achieve great feats again in the future, how will Your Majesty reward them?
The reward was too little, and the generals felt resentful and their rebelliousness increased. If they were to receive a larger reward, would they have to give General Li a piece of land and make him a king?

If General Li is granted the title of Prince, his soldiers will become increasingly dissatisfied and hope to seize the world. Where will Your Majesty go then?

This is my sincere opinion, Your Majesty, please reconsider! The historical example of Zhao Kuangyin, the emperor of the Song Dynasty, wearing the yellow robe, is still fresh in our minds."

Zhu Youjian's heart suddenly skipped a beat, as if he had inadvertently opened a door that he had been deliberately avoiding.

It was as if quantitative change had led to qualitative change. The problems he didn't want to care about in the past had become so serious that he could not avoid them even if he turned a blind eye.

Both the Black Flag Camp and the Beiwei Army have expanded into behemoths.

Zhu Youjian thought about this problem carefully, but eventually he fell into the embarrassing situation of "who else can I use to suppress the bandits if I don't use them?"

If the wrong governors and generals are used, defeat will occur again. How many more major defeats can this broken Ming Dynasty withstand?
But if he continues to use these two powerful soldiers, the Ming Dynasty will change its color sooner or later, and no matter whether they are surnamed Li or Zhang, they will have nothing to do with his Zhu family anymore.

When Zhu Youjian thought that the regret of hanging himself in Dujiatun might happen again, he tried his best to suppress his guilt towards his meritorious officials.

It's not that he doesn't want to distinguish between rewards and punishments, but the general's achievements are greater than his master's, so he has to be on guard.

So he compromised this time and only gave Zhang Xianzhong the honorary title of Prince Taibao of the first rank, and the hereditary title of a thousand households in Liaoyang. He also gave Li Mu the title of Earl of Loyalty and Righteousness, which was not hereditary for life, but the hereditary title of a hundred households in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, with an annual salary of one thousand dan.

As for how to deal with the increasingly "expanded" strength of the Second Division, he still needed to think carefully. At least until the Second Division completely stabilized Liaodong, he could not act rashly.

Looking at the drizzle outside, Zhu Youjian sighed in his heart -

Mr. Li, Mr. Zhang, it’s not that I don’t trust you two, but in order to save your lives, I have to consider you.

(End of this chapter)