Ming Dynasty: Summoning game players at the beginning

Chapter 266 Everyone has their own agenda
An emergency meeting was held in the blue-tiled Xuanzheng Hall. King Lee Jong sat firmly on the throne in the middle, his beard circling his lips dotted with a few gray hairs.

He sat steadily and looked down at the ministers below him, who stood on both sides with their heads lowered.

Bright sunlight streamed in through the open palace door, and the king shifted his buttocks, as if this would make him feel better.

Everyone in the hall had already arrived, but no one had initiated a discussion. They stood silently, some with their eyes closed, or whispering quietly to their colleagues.

The king was already nearly fifty years old and his health was not as good as before. He felt tired after sitting for only a short while and his eyelids were drooping so much that they were almost closing.

Just as the king bent down to "fish", he suddenly heard a loud and long shout.

Dorgon, the prince of the Qing Dynasty, has arrived.

Dorgon was wearing heavy armor and was surrounded by two hundred elite soldiers.

The soldiers filed into the palace, quickly occupied the walls, and surrounded all the civil and military officials.

Ten elite soldiers and a Korean interpreter surrounded Dorgon and continued forward until they reached the throne.

Dorgon stood beside the old king like a regent supporting the "young master" to succeed to the throne, but the king was so scared that he moved his butt and shrank into a corner of the throne, for fear of angering this Qing prince.

Dorgon has also been very anxious recently.

He received vague information from the spies -

The Ming army recaptured Liaodong and "massacred" Shengjing for ten days and ten nights, smashing wooden boxes, destroying water tanks, filling up all the wells, and even splitting the ants and earthworms on the ground vertically in half.

The brutal Beiwei Army vented their anger for a full ten days, and the final fire burned down Shengjing. The raging fire could even be seen by the residents dozens of miles away.

He knew that this was an exaggerated rumor, but the Beiwei Army had always hated the Eight Banners and acted cruelly and tyrannically, so he couldn't help but believe it.

On the day he heard the bad news, he ordered all Han slaves in the banner to be tortured to death.

However, after venting the anger, there was endless emptiness. There has been no news from His Majesty the Emperor for several days.

He had heard of Huang Taiji's "escape to the north" strategy before, but there was no news at the moment.

Did His Majesty abandon these people, or was he brewing a strategic plan to counterattack Liaodong?
Whether it is the former or the latter, Dorgon needs to become "independent".

Since entering North Korea, he has been implementing the plan of "annexation of North Korea". He has just completed the first phase and is barely controlling the North Korean court.

He was still strengthening the interest ties between the Eight Banners and the Yangban, and only after completely replacing the middle and upper classes of Korea could he replace King Lee and become the true ruler of Korea.

After all, Lee Seong-gye, the founding monarch of Korea, was crowned with a yellow robe just like Zhao Kuangyin of the Central Plains.

Lee Seong-gye was able to change the monarch with tens of thousands of soldiers. Dorgon, who had tens of thousands of Eight Banners soldiers under his command, might be able to become the founding monarch of the "new" Korea.

It’s a pity that the Ming army has arrived, and it’s that damn Beiwei army again!
They are like lingering evil ghosts, and no one knows what deep hatred they have with the Eight Banners.

They had already recaptured Liaodong, but instead of sitting back and enjoying the glory of a life with a wife, children and a warm bed, they insisted on entering Korea to fight in the freezing winter.

Do these Han dogs hate the Qing Dynasty so much that they would chase them all the way to a poor place like Korea in order to exterminate the Eight Banners?

Dorgon didn't know what the Beiwei Army was thinking. He only knew that if he allowed the enemy troops to march south, his dream of becoming king would be completely shattered.

He can only and must stop the Ming army here!

The theme of this political meeting was how Korea, a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty, should respond to the Ming army's southward march.
The "pro-Manchu" officials who had formed marriage relations with the Manchu nobles were the first to speak out.

Even though Korea was a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty in the past, now that it has completely submitted to the Qing Dynasty, it must be loyal to its master and fight for him.

According to reports from the flag soldiers who escaped back from the front line, the total number of enemy troops heading south this time did not exceed 30,000, and there was no subsequent reinforcement.

Although the Korean vassal state was a small country and its northwestern prefecture was occupied by enemy troops, the assembled royal central army and the remaining seven prefectures still totaled 90,000 regular troops.

You have to know that it took the Eight Banners Army tens of thousands of troops to conquer Korea twice.

At present, Korea, which is "supported" and "led" by tens of thousands of Eight Banners soldiers, is more than enough to fight against the 30,000 Ming troops, which is like steel hitting an egg.

However, some neutral officials expressed concerns.

This time, the Ming army took the Korean prince Yi Hao with them on their southern expedition. They used the royal family's influence to recruit soldiers in the north and soon gathered a group of "anti-barbarian" civil and military officials who had been dismissed from their posts.

The Qing army could mobilize Korean troops, and the Ming army could also mobilize Korean troops.

By then, both sides will mobilize tens of thousands of troops, and it will turn into a Korean civil war with hundreds of thousands of troops fighting each other. Regardless of victory or defeat, the Korean military and civilians will suffer.

The king couldn't help but nod when he heard this. Although he cared more about his own life, he still appreciated this "sincere" speech.

It’s a pity that this king has now lost his real power, and the real “king” has become the Tartar prince standing proudly in front of the throne.

"As long as His Highness issues a royal decree to abolish the title of Grand Lord Fenglin's heir, how can the enemy exploit it?"

"You're simply foolish!" an official shouted, then turned to the king. "Prince Fenglin is your Highness's bloodline. Your enemies are determined to return to the court, so why would they care about a letter from the king? They will then claim that we are controlling the royal government and that all the orders we have passed on are false. They will come to kill us under the pretext of clearing the court of corrupt officials. What will you do..."

"A loyal minister does not serve two masters. Since our country of the East has pledged allegiance to the Qing Dynasty, serving the Qing Dynasty is the act of a loyal minister. Those who aid the rebellion should be charged with treason!"

"But those remnants cannot hear your words of loyalty. They hide among the scholars, waiting for the Ming army and Prince Fenglin to march south to Seoul, intending to rebel..."

As soon as these words were spoken, several high-ranking officials of the pro-capital faction looked at Dorgon with a solemn face. Only when the latter nodded did they all make suggestions to the king.

"I beg Your Highness to allow me and others to arrest the remaining 'pro-Ming' elements, so as to prevent national unrest and suffering for the people."

"I..." The king's lips moved, but he couldn't utter a word.

Most of the civil and military officials present have become running dogs of the Eight Banners. Even those who do not have a clear banner are neutral and are trying to protect themselves. There are very few who are still loyal to Li Zong.

Li Zong couldn't help but sigh, "The king is not like a king, and the country is not like a country."

He could only watch as the Tartars threw the country into chaos and even took away his Li family's foundation, but he could not make any move to resist.

"Absolutely not!" an official retorted loudly.

Li Zong was encouraged to see someone speaking up for justice, but then he felt that this was too risky. If he offended Dorgon, he would lose his life.

However, Zheng Zidian's face was firm, and he looked righteous. "In the future of the Qing Dynasty, you and I were both Confucian scholars with hearts devoted to the Central Plains. Who wouldn't be proud of the Central Plains then? Now that the situation has changed and the Tartars have entered the court, we are not proud of Confucian loyalty and righteousness. Instead, we must follow the example of cruel and tyrannical beasts."

"If the Confucian scholars refused to submit, you should dismiss them from their posts. Now, as if that weren't enough, you are also exterminating all those who refused to kneel and surrender to the Tartars, causing panic among the people. Do you have to cause the whole country to be in turmoil before you are satisfied?"

Zheng Zidian looked around, pointing at those who were begging for mercy and betraying their country, and scolded them, "You are helping the enemy to commit atrocities. Have you ever thought about what will happen to you in the future..."

Before Zheng Zidian could say anything, he heard a low cry of surprise from all around him, and then he felt a shock on his back.

With a "puff" sound, a steel knife pierced through the waist and came out from the chest.

As the Tartar soldier drew out his steel knife, blood flowed out through his official robe, and Zheng Zidian felt that all his strength had been drained.

He staggered forward a few steps, one step, then another, towards the king on the throne, but his weak body finally fell in front of the stairs.

The bloodstained face looked towards the palace beams, and with blood in his mouth he muttered, "Your Highness, I will be loyal to you..."

The king on the throne had just retracted his outstretched right hand, and the regretful expression on his face disappeared in an instant.

With the death of a person in the hall, the purpose of the meeting was instantly lost. Dorgon led his guards away in a hurry, displeased. The civil and military officials also left the Xuanzheng Hall as if they had lost their backbone.

"Someone come here..." The king shouted in a low voice, and more than ten guards and eunuchs hurried to the palace gate, but they stood there motionless even though the king continued to give orders.

Instead, a new-faced eunuch pointed at the corpse on the ground, and they obediently walked into the palace, dragged away the body of the loyal minister who had fallen on the ground, and then brought buckets of water and plain cloth to wipe the bloodstains on the ground.

Looking at the bloody marks on the ground, the king felt as if a steel needle had pierced his heart.
He didn't expect that the eunuchs and palace maids who he could command before could no longer be ordered around.

The Tartars gradually eroded his royal power, and the palace seemed to have become a cage, trapping him tightly inside.

A raging fire ignited in my heart, extinguished for a moment, and then ignited again.

If the situation is allowed to continue, not only will the Li family's foundation be in danger, but even his own life may be in danger!
So he entrusted the few palace maids he could trust to go out and gather a few of his trusted confidants.

Fortunately, the Tartars had not yet completely taken control of the palace, and loyal ministers led by Cui Mingji appeared in the king's toilet in disguise.

The king and his ministers did not dare to speak loudly when discussing matters, and they had no chance to choose a suitable meeting place. They could only sit next to the smelly toilet and endure the stench.

Seeing his monarch in such a miserable state, Cui Mingji couldn't help but shed tears, "Your Highness has suffered..."

"The king and father have been humiliated, and we are ashamed to be his subjects!"

"If Your Highness trusts me, I am willing to lead a hundred of my soldiers to escort Your Highness out of Seoul!"

After escaping from Seoul, a brief look of joy appeared on Li Jong's face.

But he also knew that the guards of Seoul had long been replaced by the Tartars with "pro-Tatar faction", and even a thousand family soldiers were no match for the guards.

Moreover, if you act rashly, you are likely to die in the "breakout".

He doesn't want to die yet.

"How are Zheng Zidian's family members doing?"

"The treacherous ministers sentenced him to treason and exterminated his entire clan..."

"..." Li Zong's heart sank when he heard this. Another loyal minister died without a burial place.

This is what the Tartars and treacherous ministers do. They repeatedly lure loyal ministers into exposing themselves, then eliminate them one by one and replace them with treacherous ministers, until one day all the court officials have been completely turned into the Tartars' running dogs.

Li Zong immediately looked at the three loyal ministers with hope rekindled, and asked eagerly, "My son has invited the Beiwei Army to come to the court. Do you have any good strategies to defeat the enemy?"

Li Zong was of course happy to see his son and the heavenly soldiers win.

If the Tartars win, there will be no more heavenly troops to attack within a few years. At that time, the Tartars can peacefully digest the eight provinces of Korea, and the Lee Dynasty will be in danger.

But if the Tianbing won, Korea would still belong to the Lee family, and his son Lee Ho would become the next king of Korea and continue the Lee family's legacy.

At present, the outcome of the battle between the two sides is uncertain, and he must do his best to enhance the overall combat effectiveness of the "anti-barbarian faction".

"The treacherous ministers failed to reach a consensus today, but they will certainly force Your Highness to persecute loyal officials and even dethrone Prince Fenglin... How about Your Highness order the prince to be crowned Crown Prince and grant him the authority to lead the troops to support the king... If the troops supporting the king assist the Heavenly Army in driving out the Tartars, peace will return to our Eastern Kingdom."

Cui Mingji, completely concerned about the monarch's safety, immediately retorted, "I think that's not possible. If there are traitors on the front lines, knowing that Your Highness has authorized military power, they will surely harm Your Highness and support another prince as the monarch..."

Another person said that now that the Crown Prince is dead, who else has higher legitimacy than Prince Fenglin?
The third prince who had been adopted by a side branch, or Gwanghaegun who had been deposed for more than ten years?
The Tartars' control over the Korean royal court was already unjustifiable and was despised by Confucian scholars. If they were to depose or kill the Korean monarch, it would be tantamount to trampling on justice.

By then, the northern civil and military officials will support Prince Fenglin to succeed to the throne, and Confucian scholars across the country will recognize the new monarch as the most legitimate.

The righteous cause is usually not obvious, but it is what people want when the critical moment comes.

Now that the Heavenly Soldiers have entered the court, it is even less likely that the Tartars will harm Your Highness. Instead, they must save Your Highness's life before repelling the Heavenly Soldiers.

The few of them finally reached a consensus - to follow the story of the "Secret Edict" of Emperor Xian of Han, to enthrone Li Hao as the crown prince and grant him the power to command troops.

But the king’s seal cannot be affixed to the secret order.

If the army supporting the king wins a great victory, then this "secret order written in blood" will be true, and the authority given to the prince can be removed at any time.

But if the Beiwei army was defeated, the Tartars would later investigate and say that this secret order was an act of usurpation by a minister who "acted on his own initiative" and would be blamed and killed.

"If this cannot be done, I am willing to bear the responsibility..." Cui Mingji, who had just opposed the secret order, bowed his head deeply.

The other two loyal ministers also bowed down, "I am willing to take responsibility..."

Seeing the three loyal ministers kneeling in front of him, Li Jong's eyes couldn't help but become moist.

It is said that true friendship is revealed in times of adversity. He finally saw clearly that among the civil and military officials in the hall, there were still a few good ministers who were devoted to serving the king!
"Okay, okay, okay, you are all my loyal subjects! If the Heavenly Army successfully drives out the Tartars, I will not let you down."

So Cui Mingji bit his finger and wrote the King's Letter on behalf of the king, conferring Li Hao as the crown prince and granting him military power. At the same time, he called on people with lofty ideals across the country to assist the crown prince in fighting back to Seoul and repelling the Tartars!

On the other side, the loyal minister hid the blood letter in his belt and took it out of the palace. He quickly selected some subordinates with good riding skills to deliver the letter to the north.

On the other hand, Dorgon also summoned his trusted confidants and traitors to discuss the matter.

It was impossible to escape. If the Eight Banners Army fled south, it would be the sea, and they were not good at sailing.

To the north, they faced mountains. They had already tasted the pain of climbing mountains and detours, and now it was winter, and the loss of climbing mountains was multiplied.

Even though 5,000 auxiliary soldiers died in the battle, his Qing Dynasty still had 25,000 combat-capable soldiers.

Although North Korea as a whole appeared to be poor, the extravagance of its upper class still caused the Eight Banners to quickly fall into poverty, and no one wanted to give up the "fat meat" they had obtained easily.

Even Dorgon could not help but indulge in the dream of becoming the "King of Korea".

Fighting was necessary, but how to fight became the question on everyone's mind.

Delaying time is of no use. The Beiwei Army holds the Korean prince in its hands and is growing stronger every moment. As one side gains strength while the other loses, the Qing Dynasty's chances of winning will drop to freezing point.

However, both Dorgon and Jirgalang had fought against the Beiwei Army before, and they knew that they could not defeat them in a head-on fight.

If you don't want to escape, you can't delay, and you can't win head-on, then you can only use your wits.

Although these treacherous servants were sophisticated egoists, they were, after all, veterans who had been immersed in the political circle for decades. After a brief discussion, they came up with a good plan -

Spread the news that the Qing troops were trying to escape, and wait for changes in the loyal ministers and the royal army in Seoul, so as to seek an opportunity to win.

If the "pro-Ming faction" in Seoul showed any signs of movement, Dorgon would be able to wipe them out in one fell swoop, thereby speeding up the process of usurping the throne.

If the royal army took the bait and disrupted the rhythm of the attack, the prince, who pretended to flee but actually led his troops to war, would be able to take the opportunity to defeat the Ming army.

"Alright! You are allowed to send someone to contact the Royal Guards. Tell them that the Qing Dynasty is trying to escape through Hamgyong Province and urgently needs to join forces with the Royal Guards to attack us..."

Of course, Dorgon didn't completely trust this group of treacherous officials. After issuing the order, he added, "After the news gets out, I want you to shave your heads like the Qing Dynasty. From now on, you will all be my loyal and virtuous ministers! Glory and wealth will be endless!"

The traitors in the court were all shocked when they heard this.

Hair is something that cannot be grown back in a few months. If it is shaved into a rat tail shape, it will completely mark you as a Tartar.

However, they also knew that since the day the Tartars began to "humiliate" their monarch, there was no turning back.

(End of this chapter)