1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 910 Descends?

On July 1675, 7, it returned to Suicheng (now Hohhot).

Huangfu Baozhu peeked up the imperial steps, but saw that Emperor Kangxi was still lying on his side on the rug, holding a glass of wine with a deep expression and pecking continuously, his eyes seemed a little blurred, he was afraid he was going to be drunk.

However, Huangfu Baozhu, who is the second-class bodyguard in front of the imperial court, did not dare to step forward to warn him. A personal eunuch who was serving just now was dragged out by Kangxi's orders because he reminded him in a low voice, "Your Majesty, pay attention to the dragon's body." At twenty, the maids and guards inside and outside the entire hall were suddenly silent, not daring to make a single movement.

A few days ago, news came from Suiyuan that Ezha, the king of Doroxin County (grandson of Doduo), led more than [-] Manchu and Mongolian cavalry from the Eight Banners to encounter the Ming army at Qierhaizi. They fought fiercely for five days and beheaded [-] people. Seriously injured Sun Zhengqi, the son of the puppet King Qin of the Ming Dynasty and the commander of the Shenhuo Army.If the Zhangjiakou Ming army hadn't come to help in large numbers, it would have almost wiped out the Ming army.

After confirming that the Ming army had returned to Zhangjiakou, Ezha also led the troops back to Suiyuan to rest, and at the same time sent a fast horse messenger to report the victory to Guisui.

The imperial court was overjoyed when they heard about it. Although the son of King Qin was not captured alive, Ezha's troops severely damaged the Shenhuo army, which was said to be the Imperial Forest Army of the Ming Dynasty, and the results were brilliant.This battle greatly boosted the morale of the officers and soldiers of the Eight Banners of Manchuria and Mongolia, and at the same time made those Ming troops who rushed into the grassland over their own capabilities realize the power of our Eight Banners cavalry.

Kangxi issued a special edict for this, and rewarded Ezha with 1000 taels of silver, [-] coated slaves, and [-] cattle and sheep (only).

However, when Kangxi returned to the palace, his face changed suddenly, he slashed several seats with a knife, and scolded Ezha for being "reckless and brave", "fighting in waves without knowing how to change", and wasting my Qing Dynasty in vain." He is a man of the tiger and ben", satirizing that his combat strategy is far inferior to that of Prince Zu Yu.

The reason why Kangxi was so angry was not that Ezha lied about his military exploits. They did kill and wound more than 3000 Ming troops. However, after a great victory in this battle, the Qing army lost more than [-], and nearly half of them were ours. The Manchurian Eight Banners were extremely precious in the Qing Dynasty.

After the war, various details were reported one after another. At that time, the Ming army set up a battlefield in Qierhaizi in advance, and [-] Ming army infantry gathered in a group, using horses and carriages as screens, to fight against the more than [-] Qing soldiers who came rushing. Army cavalry.

When Ezha heard that the leading general of the Ming army was the son of Sun Kewang, he was overjoyed and ordered the cavalry to besiege all around, trying to wipe out the Ming army in one fell swoop and capture Sun Zhengqi alive.

Unexpectedly, although the Ming army was an all-firearms force, it relied on horses and hundreds of carriages as barriers to fire continuous musket fire, repelling the Qing army's attacks several times, killing and wounding our Qing army. There are more than a thousand Eight Banners.

Under the embarrassment and anger of Eza, he did not lose his mind and continued to attack with all his strength. Instead, he divided the cavalry into waves and launched small-scale attacks before and after the Ming army formation. Weary the army.

After three days, the Ming army gradually became weak, and the counterattack force was also swift and fierce. Ezha immediately launched a large-scale offensive, hoping to overwhelm the Ming army and wipe out all its troops.

Unexpectedly, when the cavalry swarmed to the front of the Ming army, the opponent suddenly launched several cannons and fired dense shotguns, causing all the Qing cavalry who rushed to the front to fall to the ground, making the entire offensive stagnant. .Afterwards, the Ming army lined up and fired again, defeating the chaotic cavalry of the Qing army.

Eza, who was supervising the battle behind the formation, was startled and angry. After gathering the defeated soldiers, he withdrew a mile away and regrouped.At this time, he had received news that a cavalry of the Ming army had appeared near Suiyuan City and was massacring Mongolian tribes and villages of the Eight Banners, setting fire to pastures, destroying crops, and killing livestock.

It stands to reason that at this time he should set aside a cavalry to watch over these Ming troops, and then lead the main force of the cavalry to find the Ming cavalry who wantonly carried out guerrilla sabotage, or wipe them out, or drive them back, so as to reduce the local people's livelihood. economic loss.

However, he also received a report from Ma Ma, saying that Zhangjiakou was making a big move towards the Ming army, and more than [-] troops were slowly approaching.Most of the intention was to rescue Sun Zhengqi who was trapped in the formation.

Thinking of Sun Zhengqi's identity, Ezha couldn't bear to give up, so he continued to supervise the soldiers and fight again.However, he was afraid of the sharp weapons of the Ming army, so he didn't dare to attack as hard as before.

Only now did he think of sending someone back to Suiyuan City to haul the several cannons in the city over to start a confrontation with the Ming army in the formation.

On the fifth day, the artillery arrived at the front line and continued to bombard the Ming army array.In less than half an hour, the Ming army's formation collapsed, and they had to abandon their luggage, dragged vehicles as cover, and began to retreat slowly.

Ezha immediately led the cavalry to follow closely behind, and continued to attack and shoot arrows on both sides of the Ming army, killing and wounding countless Ming troops.However, just as the Qing army was about to launch a fierce attack, trying to complete its achievements in one battle and completely annihilate the Ming army that was on the verge of collapse, reinforcements from the Ming army from Zhangjiakou arrived on the battlefield one after another, making the Qing army very depressed.

After Ezha led his troops away from the battlefield with the Ming army, they walked around to monitor from a distance.However, the Ming army numbered as many as [-], and there were more than [-] cavalry guarding it. The chief general Feng Shuangli was a veteran of the Ming army. He did not give the Qing army any opportunity to retreat slowly to Zhangjiakou.

In this campaign, although more than [-] Ming troops were killed and the Ming army was driven back, our losses on the Qing side were no less than that of the Ming army, with more than [-] casualties. The Mongolian tribes and Eight Banners near Suiyuan More than [-] villages were attacked, and more than [-] people lost more than [-] people and thousands of livestock.To make matters worse, tens of thousands of acres of wheat fields cultivated by the Han people were trampled, and the harvest was wiped out.

Compared with the Ming court, which has huge manpower and material resources, even if it loses tens of thousands of people, it can be quickly replenished, and its strength will return to its original state.But every time my Qing Dynasty loses a person, a livestock, or even a wheat seedling, where can I make up for it?
The desert is bitter and cold, survival is not easy, and there is an extreme shortage of various materials. If it were not for the fact that hundreds of thousands of Dingkou and countless materials were robbed when they withdrew from the capital, Hebei, Shanxi and other places a few years ago, they would have faced several attacks by the Ming army. Once attacked, it has long been unbearable to fight.

Even so, the Qing government continued to hook up with former frontier merchants and smuggled many grains, ironware, tea, and other materials from the pass to the desert.At the same time, the Qing court also organized several official caravans to go to Ganlong, the Western Regions, and the distant Lingbei to trade with Wu Sangui, the Yarkand Khanate, and the Raksha people respectively.

However, from yesterday to early today, some bad news came out from Zhangjiakou, Datong and other places.The few frontier merchants who helped me smuggle in the Qing Dynasty in the past were thoroughly cleaned up by hypocrisy.

Fan, Wang, Jin, Tian, ​​Zhai and other families, regardless of gender, age or age, have all been locked up by the Ming army and imprisoned, and all their property has been confiscated.During this period, dozens of secret works of the Qing Dynasty hidden in various places were also captured by the Ming army. Those who resisted and were killed on the spot were hanged on the top of the city to show the public.

After Kangxi heard the news, he stood still for a while, and then sat in the palace like this, drinking and pecking non-stop, as if to vent the depression in his chest.

Since Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang passed away last year due to wind and cold, the young emperor seemed to be becoming more and more impatient, frequently blaming maids and eunuchs for minor mistakes.He is also full of vigilance against the ministers of civil and military affairs in the court, but if he violates the words and disobedience, he will inevitably be dismissed or even beheaded to warn the ministers.

Thinking about it, the emperor must have been under too much pressure.My Great Qing has been managed by Taizu, Taizong, and Shizu for three generations, and it was very easy to break into the pass, rule the world, and establish the foundation of my Great Qing forever.But he didn't want to, under the second Northern Expedition of the false Ming Dynasty, Lien Zhan was defeated in a row, lost his troops and lost ground, and finally had to withdraw from the pass and go away to the desert.All this, how to keep the young emperor from feeling ashamed and resentful.

Not to mention, Liaodong, the land of Longxing in the Qing Dynasty, could not return safely. There are countless tombs and tombs of my ancestors in the Eight Banners!It is said that out of revenge, Puppet Ming demoted all the Eight Banners officers, soldiers, women and children captured in Liaodong to slavery.It was even considered for a time to excavate Yongling, Fuling and Zhaoling in Shengjing, and take out the corpses of Taizu (Nurhachi), Taizong (Huang Taiji) and the six ancestors above, and show them to the public.

However, in view of the fact that I had buried Emperor Chongzhen in the Qing Dynasty (the budget for building Siling was 3000 taels of silver, which was not used up in the end), and also properly protected the tombs of the emperors of the Puppet Ming Dynasty, the Governor of Liaodong in the Puppet Ming Dynasty stopped this kind of mausoleum digging The despicable behavior made many princes and nobles of the Eight Banners of Manchuria in Guisui breathe a sigh of relief, and they couldn't help secretly rejoicing. Fortunately, the temporary good deeds back then were rewarded with today's good rewards.

"Your Majesty, the three great scholars, Suo'etu, Mingzhu, and Tuhai, please see me." An eunuch knelt in front of Kangxi, and tremblingly came forward to report.

"... Xuan!" Kangxi put the wine glass on the small table, waved his hand, and signaled the waiter to remove the table.

Suo'etu, Mingzhu, Tuhai and others knelt down to participate in Kangxi, and stood aside with their hands down, but none of them stepped forward to participate in the performance. Instead, they secretly exchanged glances with each other,

"Tell me, what do you want?" Kangxi squinted at the three bachelors, "Zhen, I'm awake!"

"Your Majesty, this servant is here to offer a message for the future of the Qing Dynasty." Although Tu Hai came from a humble background, he was talented and loyal, and had an honest temperament. Seeing that Suo'etu and Mingzhu were silent, he immediately left Lie, knelt down in front of Kangxi.

"Dedication?" Kangxi looked at Tuhai's solemn expression, and saw Suo'etu and Mingzhu's prudent appearances, and suddenly became alert, sat upright involuntarily, and asked in a cold voice: "What is your dedication? ……speak!"

"Your servant asks the emperor to surrender to the hypocrite, as his vassal." After Tu Hai finished speaking, he kowtowed heavily, then knelt down on the ground without saying a word.

"... Surrender to the false Ming Dynasty, thinking it is a vassal?" Kangxi had an incredulous expression on his face, and looked at Tuhai in some astonishment, thinking for a moment whether he had heard it wrong.

After a while, he slowly turned his head to look at Suo'etu and Mingzhu.

Seeing this, Suo'etu and Mingzhu also knelt down in front of Kangxi, kowtowed heavily, and remained silent.

"Wait... do you want to send me to that hypocrite in exchange for the safety of all of you?" Kangxi stood up in horror, and sternly shouted: "Or, just cut off my head and send it to you." That hypocrisy bows its knees?"

"Your servant will die!" Tu Hai looked up, tears streaming down his face, "Your servant asked the emperor to follow the example of Taizu, first to hide his strength and bide his time, concentrate on accumulating strength, consolidate Monan, expand Khalkha to the north, connect to the west and Shuo Te, Wu Sangui, the south is temporarily attached to the Puppet Ming Dynasty, waiting for the future changes in the Central Plains. In this way, our Qing Dynasty may resume the trip of the ancestor (Shunzhi) and come to the world again."

"I'm Qing...how come this?" Kangxi's eyes were bloodshot.

"Your Majesty." Suo'etu looked up with a sad expression, "Since last year, Pseudo-Ming has taken the initiative to go deep into the desert, attacking many tribes in Mongolia and villages and towns colonized by the Eight Banners. Our main force in the Eight Banners fought decisively, but killed and destroyed a large number of people's livelihood in the villages of our Manchu and Mongolian tribes, plundered the grazing livestock, burned the grasslands, and destroyed our cultivated land. Doing things like this, if things go on like this, the foundation of our Qing Dynasty will gradually become empty, and the Mongolian tribes will also die. I am afraid that thoughts of resentment and resentment will be born, and the food to eat and the resources for fighting will be exhausted day by day."

"Your Majesty." Mingzhu also raised her head, and said earnestly: "Last year, although our Great Qing conquered Khalkha in the north and conquered the Chechens, Tuxietu, and Zhasaktu, this move was only a temporary relief. It is not beneficial to the overall situation of the Qing Dynasty. Moreover, I heard that the Junggar tribe in the northwest is gradually unifying, and its leader, Galdan, is ambitious and plans to plot the entire Oirat. If he integrates the tribe The Mongol forces will definitely lead troops to the east to attack Khalkha and come for the great cause of unifying Mongolia.”

"On the east side of the desert, the land of Liaodong has been taken by the Pseudo-Ming, and its forces can attack Horqin in the west, threaten Suiyuan, and even go to Guisui. If the Puppet Ming Xuanfu, Datong, Yansui, Ningxia, Guyuan and other important border towns Going deep into the grasslands every year, inviting us to fight with the Qing Dynasty, and continuing to destroy the southern Mongolian tribes and many villages in the Eight Banners, the land controlled by the Qing Dynasty may never have a chance to breathe!"

"..." Kangxi gritted his teeth when he heard the words, and the veins on his forehead kept throbbing. He asked in a hissed voice, "In the current situation, will the puppet Ming Dynasty allow me to accept the surrender of the Qing Dynasty as a vassal?"

"Your Majesty, the Guangde Emperor of the Puppet Ming Dynasty passed away last year, and the new emperor succeeded to the throne, but his prestige and reputation are far inferior to that Sun Kewang." Suoetu said in a deep voice: "I heard that that Sun Kewang has always wanted to usurp the Ming Dynasty. Self-reliance, but there is no good opportunity. If I am in the Qing Dynasty at this time, I invite myself to remove the title of the country, get rid of... get rid of the throne, attract people to submit, and regard it as a vassal. This move will definitely be agreed by Sun Kewang, and it will become him to calm the world and unify the country. A great achievement."

"Your Majesty, if Sun Kewang allows me to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, he will definitely be ecstatic because of this. To show his achievements in the world's surrender, he will definitely treat him well." In various lands, markets were launched to stockpile supplies. At the same time, Han farmers and many craftsmen were attracted to colonize and reclaim wasteland, develop workers and peasants, and accumulate strength. The slaves thought that once Sun Kewang usurped the Ming and became self-reliant, it would inevitably lead to chaos in the world. At that time, it was me The Qing Dynasty is back, and it is a great opportunity to break through and enter the Central Plains again!"

"Your Majesty, in ancient times, there was Gou Jian who tried his best to conquer Wu with three thousand Yue Jia. Decades ago, there was also Taizu who kept a low profile. After decades of hard work, he achieved the great victory of Saerhu, sweeping the entire Liaodong past. Tu Hai looked at Kangxi firmly, "Today, I ask the emperor to endure the humiliation for a while, imitating the sages and the great ancestors, pretending to be false, temporarily using the name of a vassal, accepting obedience to the hypocrisy, thinking that he will seek great things in the future!"

After Kangxi listened, he just remained silent, staring fixedly at the three ministers kneeling on the ground, his face was cloudy and cloudy, his mind was spinning rapidly, thinking.

"Let's make peace with the three Qing families." Kangxi took a deep breath, and said in a gentle tone: "Since my Qing Dynasty wants to make a peace agreement and surrender to the hypocrisy, then who can be envoys to go to Nanjing?"

"I am willing to go." Mingzhu bowed and said.

"The training of the Eight Banners, the local garrison and many other affairs still rely on the great scholars, so don't take it lightly." Kangxi turned his head and looked at Tuhai, "Then, Tuhai, you are temporarily my envoy to the Qing Dynasty, and you will go to Nanjing. Tell that grandson Kewang, I, the Qing Dynasty, would like to surrender the whole country, thinking that the Ming Dynasty is a vassal, just so that we can stop fighting."

"Hey... The slave will die forever!" Tu Hai knelt down on the ground again, and kowtowed heavily to Kangxi.

(End of this chapter)