I, Kangxi, am here to overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming!

Qianqing Palace, West Warm Pavilion.

Although they won the morning court session, Hong Xiguan knew very well that the real battle was just beginning.

"Winning face is one thing, but you have to deliver on the substance to truly win."

He stared at the "Complete Map of the Empire" on the wall, his gaze fixed on that small red area in eastern Sichuan.

Thirteen families in Kuidong.

These are not just a few red dots on a map; they are tens of thousands of gleaming steel knives, and tens of thousands of battle-hardened veterans who are the most capable and fearless in this era.

Their predecessor was the Da Shun Army.

This was the same fierce and powerful army led by Li Zicheng that marched all the way from Shaanxi into Beijing, forced Emperor Chongzhen to commit suicide, and rode horses and drank wine in the Forbidden City.

Later, Li Zicheng was killed by a local militiaman with a single hoe at Jiugong Mountain (a truly bizarre way to die), and his arrogant and fierce troops suddenly lost their leader.

Immediately afterwards, the Qing army entered the pass, Wu Sangui defected, and the Shun army was attacked from both sides, suffering a crushing defeat that left them questioning their existence.

In the end, having no other choice, they had to cooperate with their old nemesis, the Southern Ming regime, and form the so-called "United Anti-Qing Front".

This resistance lasted for twenty years.

Honestly, these guys are tough as nails!

Hong Xiguan tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

If we could recruit these people to our side, it would be a sharp dagger aimed straight at Ao Bai's heart.

The Manchu Eight Banners have begun to corrupt, but these "bandits" who have been fighting guerrilla warfare in the mountains for twenty years are absolutely formidable in combat.

But do you want to recruit them?

Difficult! Difficult as ascending to heaven!

Because the Qing Dynasty's credibility in this regard was essentially negative.

Back then, the powerful generals of the Shun army, such as Tian Jianxiu, Zhang Nai, and Li You, all surrendered to the Qing army when they had no other choice.

And what happened? He surrendered, and the next day he was dragged to the execution ground and beheaded.

The current level of trust the thirteen families of Kuidong in the Qing government is such that they wouldn't believe a single punctuation mark you utter.

Especially that "person in charge," Li Laiheng.

This guy, nicknamed "Little Rebel King," had an incredibly fierce personality. In the first year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, the Qing court tried to persuade him to surrender, but he simply tore up the letter.

In the third year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, the Qing court sent a traitor named Li Youshi to persuade Li Laiheng to surrender. Without saying a word, Li Laiheng had Li Youshi beheaded and sacrificed to the flag.

He had a strong sense of political conviction. When the Yongli Emperor of the Southern Ming Dynasty bestowed upon him the title of "Duke of Lin," he truly regarded himself as the last guardian of the Ming Dynasty.

For such idealists, talking about money is too vulgar, and talking about official positions is too trivial.

Hong Xiguan narrowed his eyes, a sly smile playing on his lips.

You have to talk about sentiments, you have to give him respect, and you have to make him feel that surrendering is not humiliation, but another form of "saving the country through indirect means".

……

"The story of Xiong bestowing shoes."

A moment later, Imperial Tutor Xiong Cilu hurriedly entered the West Warm Pavilion.

"Your subject Xiong Cilu pays his respects to Your Majesty."

"Get up, teacher." Hong Xiguan waved his hand, not bothering with pleasantries, and went straight to the point: "Now that the court has decided on the policy of granting amnesty, you'll have to do this job."

Upon hearing this, Xiong Cilu's face turned green.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I am but a scholar, utterly powerless. Li Laiheng is a ruthless killer. If I were to go, I fear..."

They're probably going to be made into human flesh buns!

"What are you afraid of? Even when two countries are at war, they don't kill the envoys." Hong Xiguan walked over, patted him on the shoulder, and began to brainwash him (promising him a bright future).

"Teacher, there is a profound reason why I chose you."

Hong Xiguan held up four fingers.

"First, you are a Han Chinese, born in the eighth year of Chongzhen's reign, when the Ming Dynasty was on the verge of collapse. You neither received Chongzhen's imperial salary nor served as Li Zicheng's subject. You have a clean background and are not a traitor. Li Laiheng hates those two-faced traitors, and he cannot bring himself to harm a pure scholar like you."

"Secondly, you are my teacher. Sending you represents my personal presence and gives Li Laiheng a lot of face."

"Third, I know your mouth. You can make the dead sound alive and black sound white. You need to start from the Confucian ideal of 'loyalty to the emperor and love for the country' and find a way to save face for Li Laiheng. Tell him that for the sake of the blind loyalty of one family and one clan, letting tens of thousands of brothers follow him to the mountains to eat grass roots and tree bark is called 'small righteousness'; but for the sake of all the people of the world to no longer shed blood, to submit to the court, that is called 'great benevolence'!"

Xiong Cilu listened in a daze, feeling that something was wrong, but also thinking that what the emperor said made a lot of sense.

"Fourth," Hong Xiguan lowered his voice, "I've also assigned you a deputy, Gao Shougui."

"Gao Shougui?" Xiong Cili was taken aback. "Isn't that General Chen Chang?"

"Yes, he also has another identity; he is Li Laiheng's maternal uncle."

Hong Xiguan laughed: "Although the previous attempts to persuade him to surrender failed, Li Laiheng entrusted his wife and children to his care. What does that prove? It proves that family ties are still there. You try to reason with him, and he tries to appeal to his emotions. With this combination of tactics, I don't believe Li Laiheng is made of iron!"

Xiong Cili thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Your subject... is willing to go! But... what conditions can the court offer? If it's just an empty title, I'm afraid it won't sway them."

"Good question."

Hong Xiguan turned around and went back to his desk, picked up a secret edict that had been prepared in advance, and handed it to Xiong Cili.

"Look, this is the bottom line I've set for him."

Xiong Cilu took it with both hands, opened it, and took a look.

He glanced at it and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets; his hand trembled so much that the imperial edict almost fell to the ground.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty?! This...this is absolutely impossible!"

Xiong Cilu was so frightened that he knelt down immediately, his voice trembling.

"This isn't an offer of amnesty; it's clearly... a granting of land and titles! If Grand Secretary Ao knew, he'd tear me apart alive!"

The terms of the imperial edict were simply appalling:

I. Retention of Titles: The title of "Duke of Lin" conferred by the Yongli Emperor of the Southern Ming Dynasty is recognized. Li Laiheng will continue to be called a duke, and core generals such as Liu Tichun and Yuan Zongdi will be ennobled as marquises. All of them will be incorporated into the Eight Banners of the Han Army and enjoy the highest treatment.

II. Territorial Autonomy: The "Xingshan County" was specially established, and Xingshan County and surrounding areas in eastern Sichuan were allocated to be ruled by Li Laiheng hereditarily. Apart from nominally belonging to the Qing Dynasty, all administrative, judicial, and tax matters within the territory were under the control of Li Laiheng.

Third, the army is retained: the "Loyal Battalion" under his command is allowed to maintain its original structure, without being broken up or mixed up. All levels of generals are appointed by Li Laiheng himself, and the Qing government will not send political commissars or mix in any members. The core will retain 5000 to 8000 elite personal guards, and the remaining 100,000 followers (including their families) will be settled locally, given land, and exempted from taxes for three years.

The fourth one is the most outrageous.

Fourth, special permission to follow custom: Within Xingshan County, soldiers and civilians are not required to shave their heads or change their clothes! They are even allowed to continue using the Nanming era name internally and to privately worship the Ming emperor and Li Zicheng!

This is practically a country within a country!

This is a complete challenge to the founding principle of the Qing Dynasty: "Keep your head, lose your hair; keep your hair, lose your head!"

"What's the panic?"

Hong Xiguan calmly helped him up.

"This is called 'one country, two systems,' understand? High degree of autonomy, Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong... oh no, Sichuan people governing Sichuan."

"Your Majesty, this..." Xiong Cilu broke out in a cold sweat: "This is too much..."

"Isn't this outrageous?" Hong Xiguan's eyes turned deep. "Teacher, you must understand, what I want is peace in eastern Sichuan, and for those tens of thousands of elite troops to not cause me any trouble. As for what clothes they wear, what hairstyles they have, whose ancestral tablets they worship... as long as they are willing to publicly submit to me and obey orders under the banner of the Qing Dynasty, I don't care about those trivial details."

What I really care about is that this army, which retains the Han Chinese attire and worships the Ming Dynasty's ancestral tablets, will be the sharpest knife I use to cut down the Eight Banners nobility in the future!

I will send these "last watchmen of the Ming Dynasty" to teach the Eight Banners a lesson and let them know what the backbone of the Han people is!

"Keep this secret decree close to your body and do not take it out until the very last moment. Also, tell Li Laiheng that this is a privilege I have granted him, which is limited to Xingshan County. Outside of that area, he must still follow the rules of the Qing Dynasty."

Xiong Cilu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Although he still felt that this was too audacious, he could only obey the order when he saw the young emperor's determined eyes.

"I... obey your order."

……