Ming Dynasty: Moral blackmail? I, Emperor Chongzhen, have no morals!

More than a month later.

The Imperial City of Shenyang (Shengjing).

Because of the rumor that his eighth son had been killed by witchcraft, Huang Taiji executed hundreds of palace maids and eunuchs, causing panic in the palace.

Meanwhile, another rumor, that the ninth prince (Fulin) was Dorgon's son, also spread in Shenyang.

Huang Taiji did not believe the matter was true, but he already had suspicions. It was a power struggle within the harem. Who exactly was involved had not yet been identified, but these two incidents had already seriously affected the Qing court.

The growing rift between Dorgon, Dodo, Hauge, Abahai, Yuetuo, and others made Huang Taiji realize that he had to shift his focus, so he accelerated the troop deployment to plunder the Ming Dynasty.

In the palace, Huang Taiji sat high on the dragon throne, his gaze fixed on Yue Tuo: "Prince Yue Tuo is appointed Right Wing General of the Vanguard, leading 40,000 infantry and cavalry to enter the pass from Qiangzi Ridge and besiege the capital! Prince Dudu of Anping is appointed Right Wing Deputy Commander!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Yue Tuo and Du Du stepped forward and knelt on one knee.

Subsequently, Huang Taiji turned his attention to Dorgon. He had mixed feelings about Dorgon, loving his military talent but hating the strength of the two White Banners (Plain White and Bordered White) under Dorgon's command, which seriously threatened his position.

He began, "Prince Rui, Dorgon, will serve as the Left Wing General, leading 40,000 infantry and cavalry into the pass from Qingshan Pass! Prince Su, Hauge, and Beile Raoyu, Abatai, will serve as his deputies!"

"The two armies converged in the capital, and then split up to enter Hebei, Shandong, and other places!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Dorgon, Hauge, and Abatai responded.

Huang Taiji ordered Hauge and Abatai to lead the Plain Yellow and Bordered Yellow Banners, respectively, to follow Dorgon's Plain White and Bordered White Banners into the Central Plains, mainly to share the military achievements and prevent Dorgon from becoming too powerful.

The main force led by Yuetuo and Dudu was the Plain Red and Bordered Red Banners. These two banners were originally led by Daishan, but after Daishan was taken over by Huang Taiji, they became led by Yuetuo. Although Yuetuo was Daishan's son, the two had a very bad relationship. Yuetuo, on the other hand, had a good relationship with Huang Taiji and was a staunch supporter of Huang Taiji. Therefore, Huang Taiji was not worried about the right-wing army.

As for the Plain Blue and Bordered Blue Banners, they were dispersed among the other banners after Mangultai's rebellion and execution. The remaining two blue banners had the fewest units and performed the most arduous and strenuous tasks, so Huang Taiji did not pay much attention to these two banners...

However, this scale represents the full deployment of the elite troops of the Eight Banners.

"Your Majesty, be wary of the Ming army in Guan Ning and return to defend the interior!" Fan Wencheng, a Grand Secretary of the Inner Secretariat, stepped forward to remind him.

Fan Wencheng was a Han Chinese from Liaodong. He surrendered to the Qing court during Nurhaci's reign and was later appreciated by Huang Taiji. Now he has become an important Han Chinese strategist for Huang Taiji.

His suggestions to Huang Taiji, such as emulating the Ming system, encouraging agriculture and sericulture, and governing the Han people in Liaodong, were all adopted by Huang Taiji and were quite effective.

Fan Wencheng held a prominent position during Huang Taiji's lifetime, and because of Huang Taiji's support, after Huang Taiji's death, during Dorgon's reign, Dorgon's younger brother, Dodo, seized Fan Wencheng's wife while he was attending court and forcibly kept her for three months. Although Dodo was eventually punished with fifteen Niru (a unit of military rank), it could be considered a way of avenging the "devoted and loyal" Fan Wencheng...

It's worth noting that Daišan (Nurhaci's second son) had an affair with Nurhaci's wife, Gundai, yet Nurhaci only punished Daišan with a single military unit...

After hearing this, Huang Taiji nodded slightly: "Minister Fan is right. After the army departs, I will personally lead troops to Jinzhou to contain the Ming Dynasty's Guan Ning garrison!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Fan Wencheng said with a cupped hand and a smile.

Huang Taiji rose, placing his hands behind his back: "Currently, the Ming Dynasty is besieging Li Zicheng in Shaanxi and other places. If they want to send troops to defend the capital, they will only do so in batches near the capital. At that time, the two armies can defeat them one by one and severely damage the Ming court!"

Two months prior, Huang Taiji received intelligence from the mainland that Li Zicheng was in dire straits, surrounded by Ming troops in Shaanxi, and a major battle was expected to break out around October. He planned to seize this opportunity to raid the Ming Dynasty and catch them off guard…

"Your Majesty, I believe that the southern campaign should be launched sooner rather than later. If the Ming army reacts quickly enough, they may very well defend the Great Wall!" Dorgon stepped forward and said.

In Dorgon's eyes, the Ming army was not lacking in combat power, but rather in logistics and unified command. The Ming court would argue for a long time over a single issue, and the Ming emperor was even more indecisive. Therefore, it was necessary to enter the pass as soon as possible to prevent the Ming army from being extricated from the quagmire of Shaanxi. Now that the rebel armies in Huguang and other places had already surrendered, the rebel armies in Shaanxi and other places might also surrender. At that time, the Qing army entering the pass would be surrounded, which would be detrimental to its own interests.

The two white flags were Dorgon's last resort, so he would never put them in danger under any circumstances...

"As Prince Rui said, prepare as soon as possible..." Huang Taiji waved his hand, signaling the rest to retreat...

After everyone had left, Huang Taiji approached Fan Wencheng and asked, "Sir, how long do you think the Ming Dynasty can hold out?"

"Within ten years!" Fan Wencheng said, then thought for a moment and added, "The Ming emperors are arrogant, suspicious, and prone to killing important officials. If this invasion succeeds, who knows how many more Ming ministers will be killed..."

"The more this happens, the more alienated the ruler and his subjects become..."

Fan Wencheng shared his views on the Chongzhen Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, reminding Huang Taiji to trust the ministers around him, especially the Han officials, otherwise it would be difficult to conquer the behemoth that was the Ming Dynasty.

After all, with only a few hundred thousand Eight Banners soldiers, it was difficult to occupy all regions. Only by using Han people to control Han people could they achieve success.

Huang Taiji nodded emphatically after hearing this, deeply agreeing with Fan Wencheng's view.

The Ming Dynasty comprised two capitals and thirteen provinces, with over three hundred prefectures and more than a thousand counties, and a population of over one hundred million. These hundreds of thousands of Eight Banner troops could not possibly completely control the Ming Dynasty. Only by governing Han people with Han people could the Ming Dynasty be destroyed...

Seeing Huang Taiji remain silent and deeply worried, Fan Wencheng stepped forward and advised, "The Ming emperor now regards the peasant army as a major threat, but his attitude towards our Great Qing is wavering. Didn't they send peace envoys just a few days ago? Therefore, Your Majesty need not worry!"

Huang Taiji sighed and slowly said, "Lately, I've felt uneasy, as if something terrible is about to happen... Perhaps it's because I'm worried about Consort Chen..."

Huang Taiji was extremely sensitive, but the affairs of the harem severely drained his energy, leaving him feeling restless and uneasy...

Little did they know that Emperor Zhu Jian of the Ming Dynasty had already begun to withdraw troops from various places in batches, distribute military pay, and prepare for battle.

They even stopped suppressing Li Zicheng's forces in Shaanxi and the peasant armies in Huguang, even though they could have reduced Li Zicheng to only a dozen or so riders in a few more months.

........

Just as Huang Taiji was formulating his strategy for entering the pass, in the Wuying Hall of the Forbidden City in the capital of the Ming Dynasty, the dim candlelight cast a long shadow of Zhu Jian.

At this moment, Zhu Jian was bent over his desk, personally writing the imperial edict to mobilize troops, and he took back the seal of the Directorate of Ceremonial and used it directly.

The first batch of 40,000 troops transferred back from Shaanxi, led by General Cao Bianjiao, Deputy Generals Gao Jie, Hu Dawei, and Meng Ruhu, have now entered Xianghe and are distributing their meager military pay.

The second batch of Shaanxi anti-bandit troops, led by Sun Chuanting, is heading towards Baodi.

Tonight, Prosecutor Zhu is preparing to transfer Lu Xiang-sheng, Yang Guo-zhu, Li Fu-ming, and other troops from Xuan-Da University to Huailai. This is the third batch of troops returning to Zhili...

After a long while, having finished writing the imperial edict to mobilize troops, he rolled it up and handed it to Wang Chengen: "Chengen, order someone to deliver this to Lu Xiang-sheng immediately! And tell Xiang-sheng that since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety have not been able to coexist. I did not wish for my father's passing, but for the sake of the people, I had no choice but to disregard mourning. I ask for Xiang-sheng's understanding!"

Lu Xiang-sheng's father passed away a few days ago. He submitted eleven memorials to the emperor to observe mourning, but Zhu Jian did not grant any of them. Instead, he ordered Lu to continue guarding the frontier in Datong, all for this troop mobilization to resist the Qing...

Historically, Lu Xiang-sheng argued with Yang Si-chang, the Minister of War, in the palace about whether to make peace or fight against the Qing army that had invaded the country. Yang Si-chang advocated peace, while Lu Xiang-sheng advocated war. In the end, the war was fought according to Lu Xiang-sheng's wishes.

Although he went into battle, he received no troop support and ultimately died in battle at Jiajiazhuang, clad in mourning clothes...

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Wang Chengen then arranged for two eunuchs, one after the other, to go to Datong to deliver the imperial decree...