Griffin Commander in the Late Ming Dynasty

That shout not only startled the Ming army in the courtyard, but also quickly attracted the attention of the Qing army outside.

Zuo Guangxian jumped up and shouted, "Yao! What the hell are you doing?"

Yao Gong held the knife, his hands trembling. He was like a madman, shouting: "Zu Dashou didn't come, Wu Sangui didn't come, the Ming Dynasty is gone! Without reinforcements, we can't escape! I can't stand it anymore, I don't want to die, I want to surrender! I want to surrender!"

Hong Chengchou's mind went blank. He could never have imagined that he would be kidnapped by a civil servant, especially Yao Gong, whom he valued very much!

The other Ming army soldiers had different expressions as they stared blankly at the absurd scene before them.

Everyone heard the Qing army's call that whoever in the Ming army could capture Hong Chengchou would be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold, and would be promoted to a higher position and treated preferentially. However, no one took it seriously. No one expected that Yao Gong, who always talked about being a saint, would actually do such a thing!

With a "bang", the gate of the courtyard was kicked open, and a large group of Qing troops rushed in. There was also the sound of troops moving outside.

Hong Chengchou closed his eyes tightly and allowed the traitor to hold him hostage. At this moment, he just wanted to curse loudly: "Damn Wu Sangui, damn Zu Dashou, you have screwed me so badly! How can I rule the Ming Dynasty with a bunch of insects like you? Damn it!"

......

"Your Majesty, good news! The man named Hong has been captured!"

Huang Taiji was overjoyed and said, "Great, great! Quick! Send someone! This man is a light for our Qing dynasty to go south, so make sure you take good care of him!"

Huang Taiji knew very well that Hong Chengchou was very familiar with the internal situation of the Ming Dynasty. Not only had he fought with Li Zicheng for several years, but he had also participated in several battles against Jiang Han's army. Although he had lost the battles, he was somewhat more familiar with the situation than Huang Taiji.

Furthermore, Hong Chengchou was originally from the south and had complex connections in the south and still had a good reputation, so he might be an ideal candidate to pacify the southeast.

He asked again: "Where is Hong Chengchou? Take me to see him."

"It's locked up in the stable..."

Jizhou fell under the Qing army's continuous attacks.

Wu Sangui and Zu Dashou, who were in Jinzhou, were both shocked when they heard the news. They were almost scared out of their wits. No one had expected that Hong Chengchou would be defeated so quickly.

Originally, the Wu and Zu families planned to just watch the show and not intervene, waiting for the war situation in the Central Plains to stabilize before making a choice. Now it seems that there is no hope at all.

Faced with the ultimatum issued by the Qing army envoy, the Wu and Zu families finally reached an agreement after a heated discussion, with Wu Sangui as the representative, to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. Wu Sangui wrote a letter in his own handwriting overnight, wrote all the conditions for surrender in the letter, and sent someone to deliver it to the Qing army camp.

Since then, Liaodong has fallen.

Volume 403: Chapter Chapter : Beauty Trap

Not long after, Huang Taiji received a handwritten letter from Wu Sangui.

Huang Taiji was old and worried that Wu Sangui would poison him, so he asked Yao Gong, the military governor who had just surrendered, to read the letter. Yao Gong was flattered and thanked the emperor in his heart. He hurriedly opened the letter and read it with his head shaking: "Sangui wrote to the Emperor Shenxing of the Northern Dynasty..."

Hearing the contents of the letter, Huang Taiji's face was full of smiles. Great, now Liaodong is in my hands! But since someone wrote a letter to me, I can't not express my gratitude. But I have no education, what should I do... So under the language organization of a group of university secretaries, Ning Wanwo took the pen and polished the words, and also replied a letter in a very literary style.

In the letter, Huang Taiji highly praised Wu Sangui's unique vision, calling him a rare famous general, and comforted him with gentle words, saying that the Qing Dynasty would not hold past events accountable. As long as the Wu and Zu families left the city and sincerely submitted to the Qing Dynasty, Wu Sangui would be named King of Pingxi, and Zu Dashou and others would all be made marquises.

After reading the letter, Wu Sangui felt relieved and even a little proud. He thought to himself that he was just an earl in the Ming Dynasty, and now the Emperor of Qing wants to make him a king. What is the gap? What is the pattern?

This world is for those who want to enjoy it! You should enjoy it when you need to!

Wu Sangui was still enjoying himself when the shrewd Zu Dashou reminded him: "Nephew, don't forget the matter of our two fiefdoms."

Wu Sangui reacted immediately and wrote another letter to Huang Taiji, requesting that the two Wu ancestors' families remain in their old place as vassal kings, emulating the old story of the Liao Dynasty's Nanjing Road and making it a beautiful story, in order to ensure that the descendants of the two Wu ancestors would enjoy wealth and prosperity forever.

Historically, the Nanjing Road of the Liao Dynasty was the Khitan-Han alliance, and many families benefited from it for more than 200 years. Wu Sangui's move was not only for the Wu and Zu families, but also to ensure the interests of the entire Liaodong Group headed by the Wu and Zu families.

Shortly after the second letter was sent, Huang Taiji's reply arrived quickly, expressing his full acceptance of his proposal.

In order to win over Wu Sangui and other Liaodong generals, Huang Taiji also ordered the Eight Banners not to rob the people, let alone kill people, and even to stop dealing with surrendered soldiers. The Dashun Army's looting in various places had already been unpopular, which sounded a wake-up call to Huang Taiji. If you don't treat people as human beings, then isn't that giving you an opportunity? If I just change a little, won't the gap appear? Huang Taiji was very ambitious, and he intended to completely take over Liaodong without bloodshed.

The main reason was that he had lost too many troops before. The outside world didn't know how much he had lost, but only he himself knew it. The leaders of the two flags and tens of thousands of armored soldiers almost lost everything to Huang Taiji in the battle with Jiang Han.

It has to be said that these actions of Huang Taiji completely moved Wu Sangui.

In fact, Wu Sangui had already made a clear plan in his mind. Huang Taiji was a man of great courage and broad mind. In the years since he became emperor, he not only conquered the Kingdom of Korea and recovered the Mongolian tribes in the northern desert, but also entered the pass many times. Fighting the Ming Dynasty was like chasing a chicken. His great talent and strategy were evident. Maybe there would be a prospect of the Great Jin Kingdom in the Song Dynasty, which could compete with the Southern Dynasties.

After exchanging letters a few times, the two sides got along well and hit it off, and started dating in person.

Wu Sangui personally led dozens of cavalrymen and servants out of Jinzhou City and headed towards the dragon flag of the Qing army's central army. Also accompanying him were Zu Dashou, Zu Zerun and other members of his Zu family.

Wu Sangui knelt before Huang Taiji and said nervously, "I, the guilty general Wu Sangui, pay my respects to the emperor!"

"Please stand up quickly!" Huang Taiji immediately helped him up and said with a smile: "Changbo, I admire your courage!"

As he spoke, Huang Taiji gave him a seat and tea, and on the spot appointed him as the King of Pingxi of the Qing Dynasty, and he would rule Liaodong for generations.

Zu Dashou and his son were also received by Huang Taiji. When Huang Taiji saw the two members of the Zu family, his face was almost crooked with smiles. Haha, I have licked you for so many years, and now the situation is stronger than you, and you have finally come into my hands!

Huang Taiji vaguely realized that there is no way out of being a bootlicker!

Wu Sangui also tried his best to show his ability. He shaved his head on the spot and replaced it with an elegant rat-tail braid.

Zu Zerun was fine, but his father Zu Dashou was uncomfortable. As a member of the Ming Dynasty for many years, he paid great attention to his hair. He touched the hairstyle on his head and was immediately stunned. He felt bitter in his heart, as if he had lost something.

the other side

After the Qing army defeated Wu Sangui, there was only one obstacle left, which was Shanhaiguan. At this moment, in Guangning Qiantunwei, 120 miles away from Shanhaiguan, in this small city with a circumference of only 2 miles and 269 steps, Manchu soldiers of the Plain Yellow Banner were gathered together. The fluttering yellow dragon flag on the top of the city showed that the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Huang Taiji, was here.

In the imperial tent, Huang Taiji was in high spirits. Ever since he risked his life and made a desperate effort to lead the army in person, the Eight Banners Army had marched southward and won victory after victory. Not only did they capture the Governor of Ji and Liao, Hong Chengchou, alive, they also destroyed the Ming army's Guanningjin Defense Line, which was known to be as strong as an iron barrel.

Now the Qing Dynasty has only one goal, that is to capture the last gateway of the Ming Dynasty, Shanhaiguan! As long as Shanhaiguan is captured, the initiative to enter the pass will be in their hands!

"My dear brother, I heard that you released the news that Hong Manzi was dead, why didn't you just kill him?" At this moment, Dorgon, who was pretending to be loyal, was still adding insult to injury, looking at Huang Taiji with a puzzled look on his face.

Huang Taiji glanced at him and said, "Xiaobi, when you don't have military power, you call me Your Highness. When you have military power, you call me Big Brother, right? You are a dog with a rebellious bone. I will kill you sooner or later. What do you know? Do I need to go to such great lengths to kill him?"

"I know you want to subdue him, but that southern barbarian named Hong is not so easy to deal with. I am afraid that all my efforts will be in vain..."

Dorgon looked like he was thinking of you.

Huang Taiji said: "I want to make Hong Chengchou lose his retreat. Those barbarians in the south will think that he has died for his country. When they are still preparing to deal with our army, we will announce the news of his surrender to the Qing Dynasty and let Hong Chengchou fight those barbarians. What a wonderful scene it will be then?"

Huang Taiji became happier and happier as he spoke, as if he had already seen a scene in front of him: "By then, those so-called loyal ministers of the Ming Dynasty will certainly curse Hong Chengchou for being afraid of death and losing his integrity, and those Dashun people will certainly add insult to injury if they fail to persuade him to surrender. Once a person is misunderstood and insulted, he will definitely feel wronged and uncomfortable. At that time, I will comfort him with a few words and promise him a high position..."

As soon as Huang Taiji opened his mouth, he was an old CPU. Ever since he attained enlightenment in Longchang with Zu Dashou, he seemed to have awakened some extraordinary attributes.

"The surrender of such a high-ranking official will certainly deal a heavy blow to the morale of the Ming army in Shanhaiguan. It can be said to kill two birds with one stone."

Oh, I am really a sinful man, Huang Taiji was secretly proud of himself as he put away the tea selection at hand. This thing must not be seen by Dorgon.

However, Jirgalang next to him added: "But brother, I have received news that Hong Chengchou would rather die than surrender, and is even preparing to commit suicide..."

He called me Bage, and you called me Bage too? Do I still have the dignity of an emperor?

Huang Taiji felt a headache. Hong Chengchou, this old man, was a cultured man who had worked in the Confucius School all his life. His mind was full of books by sages and he was deeply favored by the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. It was not easy to influence him with words alone.

In recent days, Huang Taiji treated Hong Chengchou very kindly, asking him about his well-being and providing him with good food and drink, which made Wu Sangui and others envious and jealous. Huang Taiji then turned around and made a move on Wu Sangui, saying something like "you are all my wings", which made people stunned. He has made rapid progress these days.

Yesterday, Huang Taiji saw that Hong Chengchou was wearing thin clothes, so he took off his own sable fur coat and put it on Hong Chengchou, hoping to give him warmth and soften his hard-hearted heart.

However, Hong Chengchou still had a stubborn look on his face. He gritted his teeth, stuck out his neck and shouted: "If you want me to kneel down to the sky and disgrace my reputation, you should give up this idea as soon as possible. I only want to die quickly!"

No matter how Huang Taiji attacked, Hong Chengchou always had a dignified attitude of being ready to die bravely, which made Huang Taiji doubt whether what was written in the book was really useful.

This really stumped Huang Taiji. The strategy was so difficult and he was stuck. It would be a pity to just kill him. That guy was an important official of the Ming Dynasty. He was not only talented but also had extensive connections. He was a gold nugget that could be utilized.

In this difficult situation, Huang Taiji decided to start with personal habits. He called Yao Gong, who was holding Hong Chengchou, and asked him, "Yao Gong, you have worked with Hong Chengchou for many years. Do you know what his hobbies are?"

Yao Gong, the former military governor of Liaodong in the Ming Dynasty, usually shouted the slogan "Confucius said to be a martyr, Mencius said to pursue righteousness" more enthusiastically than anyone else. He was the first to be so shameless that he was not afraid of being criticized by future generations, and he did not feel sorry for Confucius and Mencius.

He straightened the dog-tail hat on his head and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, as far as I know, Mr. Hong is a man of temperament and has two major hobbies."

Huang Taiji's eyes lit up. It was great to have a hobby! He quickly asked, "What is your hobby? Tell me quickly!"

Yao Gong chuckled and said, "First, I love being an official, and second..."

He approached Huang Taiji and whispered something.

Huang Taiji looked strange, and couldn't help laughing: "You are indeed a man of temperament, just like me, a man of all kinds! Good!"

Having mastered this top secret, Huang Taiji touched his thick beard on his chin, and a plan came to his mind. He decided to kick the cripple's good leg hard to completely break down Hong Laobangzi's psychological defenses.

He first selected a few captured beauties and sent them to Hong Chengchou, asking him to help appreciate them. Each of these beauties was outstanding in appearance, the type that would make Huang Taiji feel moved. This time, he could be said to be reluctantly cute.

But who is Mr. Hong? A big shot! He has seen a lot of things in the world and is very picky about women. He wants to recite poems and compose couplets with these beauties. However, the cultural level of the beauties he captured is a bit worrying. Here is a bright moon blowing green waves, and there is a big fat pig. How can this work?

You have big breasts but no brains, and you have no knowledge of literature. You, Huang Taiji, use this kind of fishy, ​​foxy and vulgar woman to test your cadres?

Who do you look down on?

Hong Chengchou was very angry. If he had not been on a hunger strike for several days and had an empty stomach, he would have definitely struck out with a heavy punch.

Hong Chengchou's taste in playing with women surprised Huang Taiji. He thought, "Oh my god, I've met a master today. It's not easy to deal with him..."

Just when Huang Taiji was upset, Ning Wanwo said, "Your Majesty, why not let Concubine Zhuang give it a try? She is the most beautiful woman in Manchuria and is familiar with Han culture..."

"presumptuous!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Taiji flew into a rage and cursed: "How dare you, old bastard!" Damn it, you are actually a minotaur!

Several leaders of the Eight Banners around looked at Ning Wanwo in surprise, secretly admiring the courage of this Han minister. How dare you come up to Emperor Niu? You are really talking nonsense. What are you thinking?

Everyone in the Qing Dynasty knew that Concubine Zhuang was the concubine of Emperor Taizong. Didn't the Grand Secretary's plan clearly intend to cuckold Emperor Taizong? Are you, the Bull-Headed People, so reckless?

Even Wu Sangui, who had just attached himself to the Qing Dynasty, was confused. Did the Qing Dynasty play such a big game? He stood there and did not dare to speak, quietly watching the development of the situation.

When Ning Wanwo saw that his head was in danger of being forcibly removed, he immediately got on all fours, crawled a few steps, and bowed his head, saying: "Your Majesty, please calm down your anger. Please listen to what I have to say slowly. As the saying goes: great deeds do not care about details, and great gifts do not refuse small concessions..."

Huang Taiji's cultural level was obviously not enough to understand this set of classical Chinese, and he said with a frown: "Speak in popular terms!"

Ning Wanwo said hurriedly: "Your Majesty is a man of great achievements, a saintly ruler of the world, and must not let his behavior be fettered by his love for his children. As the saying goes, you can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child, and you can't catch a monk without sacrificing a wife. She is just a woman. Compared with my master's eternal foundation, she is really not worth mentioning..."

Bao Chengxian and other university scholars shook their faces and said, "You are really good at both elegance and vulgarity. Are you interested in applying for a job at Deyun Club?" ...

Seeing that Huang Taiji was still hesitating, Ning Wanwo continued: "Your Majesty, you must know that the most valuable thing in the world today is talent. Hong Chengchou is a talent and an important minister of the Ming Dynasty. Once I use him, he will definitely be of great help to my Qing Dynasty's southward march into the pass..."

Huang Taiji was somewhat shaken, but it was hard for him to accept the fact that he had to be the victim. He asked, "Does it have to be Concubine Zhuang?"

Ning Wanwo breathed a sigh of relief, and then said righteously: "If my Great Qing wants to take advantage of the situation and conquer the Central Plains, we must first conquer Shanhaiguan. If we want to conquer Shanhaiguan, we must first conquer Hong Chengchou. If we want to conquer Chengchou first, we must have a woman with top talents and extraordinary looks. Now in my Great Qing, only Concubine Zhuang has these conditions. Time is running out, Your Majesty!"

Huang Taiji was stunned after listening to this. He thought calmly and realized that this old man was indeed right. The Qing Dynasty must capture Shanhaiguan as soon as possible. If the Dashun Rebellion was free to attack Shanhaiguan, the situation would be troublesome.

What's more...if Jiang Han intervenes...

Huang Taiji was still a little unhappy, and asked again: "Is it necessary to use this beauty trap?"

Ning Wanwo nodded with a smile: "....Your Majesty, there is no better way now."

"..."

Huang Taiji sighed secretly: "For the sake of my grand ambition, I can only give up Dayuer..."

Ning Wanwo secretly despised it. It was just a green hat. It could be exchanged for the eternal dragon crown of the Aisin-Gioro family. This deal was simply too good to be true! Besides, didn't the Qing Dynasty rely on daughters to rule the country? How many princesses have been given away? You, Huang Taiji, have given away so many daughters. What's wrong with giving away a wife?

When I went out today, the earphone cable got caught on the door frame, and my phone flew out of the corridor... When I picked it up, it turned into a brick... I am so tired, I just had a heavy bleeding last month, and I will have another heavy bleeding this month... I will blow up the earth with one punch! qqun①溜⑧二衣7⑦壹⑥

Volume 404: Chapter Chapter : Preparing for the Northern Expedition

In the early morning, a ray of sunlight fell on Huang Taiji's forehead, with a faint green tint.

Under the fluttering yellow dragon flag, the Qing Emperor Huang Taiji was asking the imperial physician to help him recuperate. Ever since the previous battle with Jiang Han, Huang Taiji had been suffering from headaches, the only difference was that other people's headaches were about stealing other people's wives, while he had a headache about losing his own wife. It could only be said that there was a difference between the headaches. And around him, there was a group of civil and military ministers waiting to report on matters.

Watching the imperial physician busying around, giving acupuncture, massage, and medication, Dorgon slowly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, there is something I don't know whether I should tell you or not."

"Why are you hesitating? Speak!"

Dorgon said: "I heard that Concubine Zhuang went to Hong Chengchou's residence alone last night..."

Huang Taiji's blood pressure rose. You bastard, you've made it clear, right? She glared at him and said, "I asked her to persuade Hong Chengchou to surrender!"

"Oh! That's what happened!" Dorgon said with a smile, "My dear brother, why didn't you tell me earlier? I almost got misunderstood!"

Huang Taiji clenched his fists and felt angry. He wanted to punch this guy to death on the spot, but he still needed him. Dorgon had the strongest force at his disposal, so he could only say in a deep voice, "You worry too much!"

After saying this, he clapped his hands and called on the eunuchs and maids to change his clothes.

Dorgon was choked twice, but still did not give up. He followed behind Huang Taiji and said, "But Hong Chengchou is full of knowledge, and Concubine Zhuang is both talented and beautiful. This single man and single woman, living in the same room, a talented man and a beautiful woman, a passionate match..."

Huang Taiji waved his hand and pretended to be magnanimous, saying: "Okay, what are you thinking about every day? I tell you, that barbarian has no such idea and no courage. Concubine Zhuang went back in less than half an hour last night." In fact, he stayed for a whole half night.

Only a few important civil and military officials knew about the matter of inducing Hong Chengchou to surrender. Who would have thought that it would reach the ears of my fourteenth brother so quickly and be spoken out in public, embarrassing me in public.

Can Huang Taiji admit it? He would never admit it anyway. Does Huang Taiji have no face? No matter what, I, Huang Taiji, "conquer people with virtue" and use my personality charm to convince Hong Chengchou!

Of course, Dorgon did it on purpose. He had long known through his secret agents that his brother had a splitting headache every day and looked like he was dying. So he had to give him some more information. If your blood pressure is not high, how can my position be high? What's more, it can also hit your reputation at the same time. Why not?

Ning Wanwo, a university scholar standing nearby, came out to help, saying, "Prince Rui, you don't know that the Han people are much more particular about benevolence, righteousness and morality than us Manchus. The more literate people are, the more they are cautious about men and women. Hong Chengchou dare not cross the line."

“Really?” Dorgon glanced at Ning Wanwo, as if asking him, “Are you worthy of being a Manchu?”

At this time, a Bayala soldier from the Zhenghuang Banner brought good news: "Your Majesty, Hong Chengchou has left the palace and said he wants to come to see you!"