Saving the Ming Dynasty: I can exchange bodies with Chongzhen

Chapter 173: Southern Mongolia Submits Surrender
Shengjing Palace,

"Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

"Forgive me?" Dorgon pointed at Jirgalang and cursed: "Do you know that this woman has destroyed decades of efforts of my Qing Dynasty? Decades..."

His father Nurhaci started the rebellion with twelve sets of armor and fought all the way to the present point. A great deal of the credit went to the surrendered generals of the Ming Dynasty.

Although Dorgon hated Huang Taiji, he highly praised Huang Taiji's "cutting down big trees" strategy.

After ascending the throne, the first thing he did was to prepare to strengthen the Eight Banners of Han. But before he could implement it, such a thing happened!
The relationship between the Manchus and the Han people was extremely tense. Not only had the Ming generals who had surrendered to the Qing Dynasty become disloyal, but now even Kong Youde, the most trusted leader of the "Tianyou Army", had rebelled and mutinied.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. I have sent Yuetuo to chase him. I believe there will be results soon."

Dorgon's face was gloomy. "It doesn't matter whether Kong Youde is dead or alive. The key is to bring the Tianyou Army back. My Qing Dynasty has invested too much in the Tianyou Army. This army must not fall into the hands of the Ming court."

"Yes!" Jirgalang's forehead was covered with sweat. Dorgon could still scold him, which meant that his head was saved. He suddenly remembered something, "Your Majesty, Shang Kexi is waiting outside the palace. Do you want to see him?"

"Of course I will." Dorgon replied without any hesitation: "It is especially important that I let the surrendered generals of the Ming Dynasty see that the Qing Dynasty has no intention of suppressing them."

Soon, Shang Kexi was invited over by the eunuch, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you! I am guilty..."

"Get up!"

Because the incident happened suddenly and Shang Kexi was far away from the "Tianyou Army" camp, he was not intimidated by the soldiers below at the first time. By the time he knew the cause and effect of the incident, he found that the Eight Banners Army of the Qing Dynasty had appeared outside.

It was impossible to think of anything else, so he simply put on his official uniform and went to the palace to apologize.

"Please get up quickly. What crime has King Zhishun committed? I heard that you were still sleeping when the incident happened. I don't blame you."

Shang Kexi knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face. "I am guilty. I have worked with Kong Youde for so many years, but I did not discover his evil ambitions, which led to such a tragedy. This is the crime of not investigating. I beg the emperor to punish me."

Dorgon's mouth twitched. How could he not see that Shang Kexi was acting? But he still smiled and said, "According to what you said, I have worked with Kong Youde for many years, but I didn't see it. Am I guilty too?"

Shang Kexi was immediately terrified, "I dare not!"

"Hurry up and get up. This is a troubled time. I hope you can stand up and comfort the Han officials..."

Dorgon, Jirgalang, and Shang Kexi discussed for two hours. When Shang Kexi came out of the palace, his temperament suddenly changed. Was there no trace of dejection? !

Apparently Dorgon promised him a lot of benefits.

Inside the palace, Dorgon was so angry that he threw all the plates, bowls and chopsticks on the ground. "Firearm Battalion? Why did something like this happen at this time? Who leaked the news?"

Firearms were the biggest gap between the Qing Dynasty and the Ming court. Just when they saw hope of counterattacking the Ming court, such a thing happened. Dorgon naturally did not believe that this was a coincidence.

Originally, they thought that they would be able to match the Ming court's firearms in a year or two, and the shame of the last battle to enter the Pass and the battle against Mongolia south of the desert could be avenged with interest.

Now that the "Tianyou Army" has mutinied, the Qing court's firearms have regressed by several years. Even if the formula is known, it takes time to form a firearms battalion and it also takes time to build up combat power.

"Check it. Check it carefully for me."

"Pull out all the Ming court plates in Shengjing for me."

“Also, from now on, all women in the harem are not allowed to interfere in government affairs. If I don’t let them know, they are not allowed to ask.” Dorgon had never thought that a woman could cause such a big disaster.

“Hmm!”

……

Such a major incident happening on the Qing side naturally could not be concealed from the Jinyiwei, and they immediately reported the news back to the Ming Dynasty.

The first places where the news reached were naturally Jinzhou and Shanhaiguan.

As Zu Dashou listened to what happened in Shengjing, his pupils dilated. “Not only was Geng Zhongming brought back? The Tianyou Army also mutinied and rebelled?”
He knew Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming best.

Since surrendering to the Qing Dynasty, it can be said that he made great contributions in many confrontations with the Ming army.

The "Tianyou Army" unexpectedly exerted great deterrent power. He sometimes thought that if Kong Youde and Shang Kexi had not surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, the Guanning front would not be so stalemate.

"It's really Geng Zhongming!"

Now that he saw Geng Zhongming with his own eyes, he suddenly realized the horror of this matter.

I just felt that the blood circulation in my body was speeding up a bit, rushing into my heart. My heart couldn't bear it anymore and squeezed the blood out desperately. My brain was buzzing non-stop.

His limbs were cold and he just stared blankly at Geng Zhongming's face.

Not only Zu Dashou, Zu Kefa and many generals in Liaodong also had different expressions on their faces at this moment, showing their inner unrest.

The one with the most complexion was a deputy general.

Wu Sangui.

He had previously strongly advised his uncle Zu Dashou not to work too hard for the Ming court, and that the most important thing was to just pretend and preserve strength.

"Is this really the only way?" He shouted helplessly in his heart: "The Earl of Jiading betrothed you to me in the first place, why did the emperor interfere?"

……

When the news reached the capital, Zhu Changgan was stunned, "I didn't expect there would be an unexpected surprise?"

"Reward: 100 taels of silver for each of the Jinyiwei soldiers who participated in this event. Wang Chengen, you go and get it yourself and deliver it to your family. Don't let anyone know."

On the surface, it was a rebellion of the Tianyou Army, but in fact, it was inseparable from the operation of the Jinyiwei.

The Jinyiwei and Yebushou were stationed in Shengjing, many of them in the area where the Tianyou Army was located.

When the troops led by Kong Youde were on the Ming side, their military discipline was corrupt, they did not obey the Ming court's command, embezzled military pay, and harassed the enemy.

After the Qing Dynasty, although there was some restraint, the restraint was limited.

To the extent that both the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty and the Eight Banners of Mongolia despised it extremely.

There have also been many small-scale conflicts and disturbances.

The "Tianyou Army" had great hatred for the Manchus and Mongols, and with the help of the Ming Dynasty's Jinyiwei and Yebushou in the past two months, they were divided and bribed.

It finally broke out.

"Also, order them all to lie dormant and not show their heads for the time being, and wait for the next order."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

At the same time, inside the Military Affairs Office.

Several important officials of the Ming Dynasty were also smiling happily.

Sun Chengzong stroked his beard and said, "This battle is comparable to the victory in Tongzhou."

"Yes, Your Majesty is wise!" Li Banghua bowed in the direction of the Qianqing Palace and said, "It was easy to destroy the Qing court's firearms camp. Even if they rebuild it, it will take a long time."

"It can be regarded as revenge for the Wuqiao mutiny." In the fifth year of Chongzhen, Kong Youde led the most advanced firearms battalion of the Ming Dynasty and rebelled in Wuqiao. He crossed the sea with Geng Zhongming to surrender to the Later Jin Dynasty, which made Chongzhen's plan to build a powerful firearms force go down the drain. In addition, the firearms of the Later Jin Dynasty surpassed those of the Ming court in one fell swoop.

It is still the same army today, but the mutiny took place in Shengjing of the Qing Dynasty.

Not only did the outbreak kill thousands of people, but it also caused the Qing Dynasty's firearms battalion to return to its pre-construction state.

This feeling of inner comfort is simply indescribable.

……

As for Ezhe, Zhu Changgan also fulfilled his promise and released him back to the Mongolian grasslands south of the desert. However, although he was released back, the Mongolian grasslands south of the desert have undergone earth-shaking changes.

The 16 tribes and 49 banners in southern Mobei are having a hard time.

They did not want to surrender to the Ming Dynasty.

But if they refused to surrender to the Ming Dynasty, troops from Xuanda, Jiliao and Miyun would continue to enter the grassland and rob their horses, cattle and sheep.

In a battle against Mongolia south of the desert, the four major camps as well as the troops from Xuanda, Miyun and other places defeated the Mongolian tribes in one fell swoop.

When they came back, they brought back a large number of horses from Mongolia.

Not to mention those picked away by the four major camps.

Lu Xiangsheng, the governor of Xuanda alone, formed a new cavalry of 30,000.

Hong Chengchou had just taken up his new post as the general-in-chief of Ji-Liao, so naturally he would not miss this opportunity. Several generals-in-chief of Ji-Liao also added 20,000 new cavalry.

Miyun had an additional 10,000 cavalry.

As one side gained strength, the other side lost strength. The strength of the border towns in the north of the Ming Dynasty increased by a lot.

In order to continue to weaken the Mongolian tribes south of the desert, the Ming troops in Xuanda, Jiliao, Miyun and other places adopted uninterrupted harassment to prevent the Mongolian troops from making a comeback.

Kill him while he's sick.

In the past, whenever the Manchu and Mongolian cavalry entered the pass, they would abduct hundreds of thousands of Ming people and cattle and sheep. However, Lu Xiangsheng and Hong Chengchou were not the kind of "foolishly kind" people, and they would go out of the pass as soon as they had the chance.

Ezhe looked at the chaos on the grassland, his eyes reddened, "What should the Mongolian tribes in southern Mongolia do?"

"Mother, tell me!"

Now the Qing cavalry, on which they relied, was unwilling to engage in a decisive battle with the Ming court for the sake of the Mongolian tribes south of the desert before their firearms caught up with the Ming court.

After going through untold hardships, Su Tai escaped from the Qing Dynasty with the help of the Imperial Guards. "In my opinion, we should surrender to the Ming court."

"Let alone other things, if you come back, you will never be able to return to the Qing court."

Ezhe gritted his teeth and said angrily, "Then I have really become a slave of three surnames, right?"

He didn't know many Chinese characters. When he was a child, he thought Chinese characters were too boring and was always disobedient. However, he found a copy of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" from Ligdan Khan and actually read it with great interest.

By now, he could even recite the plot backwards.

"What do you mean by three-surnamed family slaves? Our own family doesn't count. After all, you only have two surnames." Su Tai turned his head and asked his son, "You have been in the capital of the Ming court for so long. How do you feel?"

"The Ming court is very powerful, and the emperor of the Ming Dynasty is more powerful than we have heard. I heard from the people in prison that the emperor just killed nearly 30% of the officials in the court, including some important officials..."

Ezhe told Su Tai what he had seen and heard, and Su Tai sighed, "As you said, the Ming court's troops will probably not be hidden for too long, and will be unsheathed again!"

"Who to hit?"

Tsu'tey didn't answer, but looked off into the distance.

I saw a horse galloping from a distance. It turned out to be a message sent back by someone Su Tai left in Shengjing.

After reading it, Su Tai handed the wool felt to Ezhe.

"The Tianyou Army mutinied? Thousands of people were killed or injured?"

"Tianyou Army... Isn't that the Manchus' strongest firearms battalion? They rebelled and killed so many people, doesn't that mean..." Ezhe was stunned for a long time and finally made up his mind.

……

On July 15, the sixteen Mongolian tribes south of the desert sent envoys to submit a letter of surrender to the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty's Ministry of Rites discussed many issues with the envoys from Mongolia south of the desert.

Zhu Changgan did not participate and the discussion between the two sides was very intense.

When the sun set and Zhu Changgan and Chongzhen exchanged bodies, Wang Chengen mentioned a few words when he repeated the story to Chongzhen as usual.

"Chahar, Khorchin, Inner Khalkha... and other 16 tribes pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty with horses, cattle, and sheep, totaling 30,000 horses, and the Ming Dynasty stops sending troops north and joins forces with the tribes to resist the Qing Dynasty..."

This made Chongzhen extremely excited. "This time is different from that time. I am very pleased!"

Back then, when the Ming Dynasty was in financial difficulties, in order to win over Ligdan Khan to jointly fight against the Later Jin Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty paid him an annual tribute of 40000 taels of silver.

But even so, Lin Danhan took the money and turned his back on his friend. He led his army to attack the border fortress of Xuanda, threatening the Ming Dynasty to pay him 80,000 taels of silver as a sign of his subjugation.

Now the Mongolian tribes south of the desert not only pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty, but also ask for its protection. How could Chongzhen not sigh?
"Your Majesty, this is only the first day's agenda. There are still two days to go."

Chongzhen nodded, "Go on."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

When Wang Chengen mentioned Kong Youde's mutiny, the emperor's eyes suddenly turned red and he remained silent for a long time.

"Your Majesty, please take a rest. I will have someone prepare some midnight snack for you."

"No need, I'll just go to the Queen's place to eat something." Chongzhen stood up, calmed himself down, and suddenly remembered that he hadn't been to the Queen's place for a long time.

"But... Your Majesty, you just went to Concubine Chen's place this afternoon..." Wang Chengen lowered his head, "The imperial physician said that Your Majesty was overworked today, and asked the eunuchs to advise Your Majesty to have a good rest for a few days."

Chongzhen paused and the muscles on his face twitched. Otherwise, why did he feel a little weak recently?
It's not your own body, you don't feel sorry for it, right?
In the end, Chongzhen asked Wang Chengen to bring him a set of writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone, and reminded himself to concentrate and calm down.

Suddenly, his eyes fell on a memorial.

He gently unfolded it, and it turned out to be Xiong Wencan's memorial: "The Yunnan general Xu Mingchen held the imperial edict to recruit the bandits. In his words of begging for peace, the bandits did not say 'disband and return to farming', but 'willing to lead 7,000 cavalry and 3,000 infantry to join the 10,000 people to suppress the bandits and redeem myself'..."

Chongzhen suddenly called Wang Chengen and asked, "How did I approve this memorial?"

"Reply to Your Majesty..."

Wang Chengen told the emperor exactly what he had reviewed today.

Chongzhen's face changed drastically after hearing this. "How can we let Xian the traitor surrender? Isn't there anyone who says this is raising a tiger to cause trouble?"

(End of this chapter)