How long has it been since Alna was injured? Although he wasn't killed last time, he was certainly wounded; how could he have recovered so quickly and be so full of vigor that he's already going to assassinate Heduoheqin?
Does it not take him time to infiltrate the side of Duoheqin?
As for sending people.. that is basically impossible. Even when he acted as a mediator to have the Qing Army and the Dutch join forces, it only brought him back to Jala E Zhen's position. Now that the Qing Army and the Dutch have essentially broken ties, he would be lucky not to be demoted; there is no way he could be allowed to control an important intelligence system.
Moreover, it was unlike his style to have his true identity discovered by Heduoheqin so quickly; given his cautious nature, it would be impossible for him to do such a thing without ensuring his own safety first.
Zhu Ci looked at Fu and asked, "Do you think Heduoheqin caught him?"
Fu pondered for a long while before saying, "Most likely not. Chuangwang wrote very clearly in his memorial that Heduoheqin discovered the assassins were sent by the Qing Court, thus declared war on the Qing Court. If the assassins had been caught on the spot, he wouldn't have waited all this time; he would have certainly taken his revenge immediately."
Whether Heduoheqin is sober or not makes no difference; he has so many men under his command, not to mention that the decision to declare war on the Qing Court was made by his designated heir, his fifth son, Chorsos Sengge.
Zhu Ci felt a bit of regret; Alna was truly an unstoppable cockroach.
However, this time Alna was truly acting a bit recklessly. At this time, the Qing Court was absolutely unwilling to enter into a conflict with the Ordos. Aside from the early Khalkha, the Qing Court had maintained an alliance policy with the Mongols for most of the time; they needed the assistance of the Mongols, most importantly, the Qing Court was also worried about the pressure coming from the Mongols, which would leave them attacked from both front and rear.
Zhu Ci felt it was strange in his heart. He set down the memorial, his brow relaxing, said, "Now, it is not just the Weilaite that is declaring war on the Qing Court, but the entire Ordos. Dorgon's good days have come to an end."
Although the term used in daily conversation is Ordos, most of the time it specifically refers to the Weilaite tribe led by Taiji Heduoheqin, whereas the entire Ordos is actually an alliance of four tribes: the Weilaite, the Torghut Mongols, the Khoshut Mongols, the Durbet. Taiji Heduoheqin is the Kurultai, or the leader, of this current alliance.
The mission Zhu Ci had previously sent Cao Xue to undertake was to the Weilaite, with the primary goal of having Heduoheqin lead the alliance to take action; however, if the other three tribes did not act and only the Weilaite took action, that would also be acceptable.
As it turned out, the Qing Court made a blunder by sending someone to assassinate Heduoheqin. If they could assassinate Heduoheqin today, they could assassinate the Taijis of the other three tribes tomorrow.
How can this be tolerated?
Not to mention that the Ordos and the Tartars of Eastern Mongolia have always been in a state of rivalry, which provides a perfect opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
Although I feel there was something suspicious about the assassination attempt on Duoheqin, it doesn't matter; as long as it benefits the Great Ming, it is fine.
He also did not send anyone to contact Ordos. No one knows whether Heduoheqin is still alive, it would be unwise to be too eager right now, in case it is misunderstood that Great Ming was fueling the assassination attempt.
It wouldn't be impossible if someone were to frame the Great Ming for instigating this assassination attempt to provoke the Ordos.
In fact, there were indeed people in the Weilaite who held such suspicions, specifically Chorsos Chechen, the eldest son of Heduoheqin, his other son, Chorsos Zhottebaatur.
Their suspicions were not directed at Great Ming, but rather at Sengge.
As the eldest son, Chorsos Chechen was extremely dissatisfied with the fifth son, Chorsos Sengge, being named the heir; it wasn't just about the right of succession, but the division of family assets was also very unfair.
Chorsos Chechen told everyone that the Ming Kingdom had given Chorsos Sengge a vast amount of gold, silver, jewels, which was why Chorsos Sengge intended to help the Ming Kingdom fight the Qing Court.
Chorsos Sengge was truly infuriated upon learning this. After thinking for a moment, he secretly summoned a confidant and whispered instructions, "Go find those two Ming men and ask them if they can find a way to kill Chechen."
It was true that he had accepted bribes, it was also true that the mastermind behind the assassination was Dodo, the younger brother of the Regent of the Qing, but Chorsos Chechen insisted on making things difficult despite the irrefutable evidence.
Chorsos Sengge had long been dissatisfied with this half-brother and wanted to use the Ming Kingdom's hand to kill this legitimate elder brother.
The people over there naturally did not dare to make decisions on their own, so they sent a messenger galloping at full speed to deliver the news.
After receiving the news, Fu did not originally want to get involved in the struggle for succession among the Weilaite, as theoretically, the Great Ming should not interfere in such matters, it would bring them no benefit for the time being; however, after some thought, he decided to make a trip to the palace to report to the Emperor.
Well, it certainly wasn't because he lacked an excuse to see the Emperor today.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: It doesn't matter if Chorsos Sengge and Chorsos Chechen are at each other's throats, but I hope you guys kill Galdan first. Evil kitty is eager to try and fan the flames. jpg
Next update at 6:00 PM~
Chapter 216
When Fu entered the palace, he had already prepared his explanation.
This trivial matter was not worth a special trip, but things had been stable in the imperial court these past few days, the Emperor had not kept him back after the large or small court assemblies had adjourned.
Fu felt that it was just a bit of an adjustment.
And just as Fu entered the palace, Zhu Ci had just received a piece of news, this time brought by the Jinyi Guard.
“Zhang Xianzhong was assassinated?” Zhu Ci turned to look at Jiang Xueyan. “Is the news certain?”
It should be certain. Xiaodunzi's cousin is over there, he has been in constant correspondence with him.
Zhu Ci also did not expect that his subordinates would turn out to be such a collection of talents.
However, he did not care much about who his subordinates had dealings with; after all, sooner or later, the entire land of Shenzhou would be one family.
“Have you found the killer?”
Zhu Ci began to contemplate what impact the assassination of Zhang Xianzhong would bring.
It was definitely good news for the Great Ming. He vaguely remembered from the original work that after Zhang Xianzhong died, his subordinates did not surrender to the Qing, but instead cooperated with the Southern Ming to continue resisting the Qing.
“I heard it was the Tartars who sent someone to assassinate him.” Jiang Xueyan said in a low voice. “The assassin was wearing a mask, it is said that his build was very similar to Alna's.”
Zhu Ci??
What's going on? Has Alna changed his profession to an assassin now?
He took a look at the memorial Li Zicheng had submitted earlier and found it utterly preposterous.
Hmm, calculating the timing, Alna first assassinated Heduoheqin in Mongolia, then, just five days later, he arrived in Sichuan and infiltrated the inner circle of the Dashun Army regime to assassinate Zhang Xianzhong.
Can he fly?
Even Zhu Ci thought this matter was truly a bit outrageous; while it was still unknown where Alna was, two people had already taken the blame.
At this moment, an eunuch happened to come and report, "Your Majesty, Grand Secretary Fu requests an audience."
A flash of inspiration struck Zhu Ci's mind, he felt as if he had guessed the correct answer. He immediately said, "Let him in."
As soon as Fu Gang stepped through the doors of the Imperial Study, he saw the Little Emperor leaning over the imperial desk, waving at him with a face full of smiles: "Huaizhang, come here, come here."
Fu Huaizhang paused, feeling a vague, unsettling premonition.
He walked over unhurriedly, only after bowing respectfully did he take a step forward.
Zhu Ci did not grant him a seat after he bowed for the first time, but instead waved him over again: "Come here."
A little further, it would be very close.
Fu hesitated for a moment before walking up to the imperial desk, then he saw Zhu Ci place Li Zicheng's memorial in front of him.
He asked with some confusion, "Your Majesty, has something happened with Chuangwang?"
Zhu Ci looked up at him slightly and said, "I just received news that Zhang Xianzhong was assassinated, rumors are that the killer was Alna."
Fu understood immediately, once again, he put on an expression of perfectly timed surprise: "This man actually went on to attempt another assassination?"
The smile on Zhu Ci's face slowly faded, he looked at Fu expressionlessly, saying, "Try acting like that one more time and see what happens?"
Fu immediately composed his expression, bowed deeply, said, "It was my blunder; I ask Your Majesty to punish me."
Zhu Ci wasn't actually very angry; he had just felt a strange sense of awkwardness that Fu had not consulted him about such a major matter.
But on second thought, it wasn't actually a big deal; besides, when he and Fu had discussed Zhang Xianzhong before, he had joked that the man's very existence was a nuisance.
It was only natural for Fu to help him resolve this trouble as his subject.
Is it possible that someone below acted on their own initiative?" Zhu Ci asked, still feeling suspicious. "This doesn't seem like something you would do.
Based on Zhu Ci's understanding of Fu, if he truly wanted to frame someone, he certainly wouldn't have created a loophole like Alna rushing a thousand li in five days to attempt an assassination.
Fu's ears twitched; from the Little Emperor's tone, he didn't seem to be very angry.
He could only say, "It wasn't exactly acting on my own authority; it was mainly that the people I sent thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and just took action."
Zhu Ci asked, "How can we frame Alna? It would be very easy to be discovered."
Fu thought for a moment and said, "Zhang Xianzhong has no connection with the Ordos, none of his subordinates can speak Mongolian, so the possibility of exposure is very low."
Zhu Ci said nothing and continued to watch him, while Fu said in a low voice, "His Majesty views Alna as a thorn in his side, but this man is far too cunning and extremely cautious; it would be better to borrow a knife to kill him."
What Fu had not said was that the entanglement between Zhu Ci and Alna was too deep, even though it was clearly a death trap, Alna somehow managed to survive every single time by sheer fluke.
After so many times, Fu even began to wonder if Heaven itself refused to let Alna die at the hands of the Great Ming.
If that were the case, it would be easy to handle; we would just send a different group of people to kill him.
If it weren't for the lack of opportunity, he would even have wanted to sow discord between the Khorchin Mongols and the Tartars.
Zhu Ci laughed after hearing this: "It is quite something that you still remember such an insignificant person."
Fu said with a solemn expression, "This person is like a thorn in Your Majesty's side; even if he is a nobody, he cannot be left unchecked."
Zhu Ci sat up straight, leaned back, said, "But what can Zhang Xianzhong actually do?"
As he spoke, he gestured for the eunuch to bring a chair for Fu.
He believed Ordos when he said he wanted revenge, but it wouldn't be easy for Zhang Xianzhong to seek revenge.
Fu slowly sat down and said, "At least in the short term, Zhang Xianzhong won't come looking for trouble for us."
But doesn't it seem a bit sudden? Why would the Tartars send someone to assassinate him for no reason?
Fu looked at Zhu Ci and said, "I previously received news that the Tartars sent Zhao Zhilong to Sichuan to make contact with Zhang Xianzhong."
Hmm?
Zhao Zhilong.. This man was once a noble during the Hongguang Era, but later surrendered to the Qing along with Qian Qianyi.
Zhu Ci let out a cold laugh. "They are certainly fiercely loyal to the Tartars."
If they had shown even a fraction of this level of dedication to the Great Ming back then, the Great Ming would not have fallen to such a state.
After making a comment, Zhu Ci asked again, "Did the Tartars send him to Sichuan because they wanted to persuade Zhang Xianzhong to surrender?"
Yes, the Tartars hope that Zhang Xianzhong can lead his troops to launch a surprise attack on our army, they have even promised to grant him a princedom.
Ha." Zhu Ci gave a short laugh and said mockingly, "Do the Tartars truly believe that occupying Beijing makes them the masters of the world? The man is an Emperor in Sichuan; why would he care about a princedom? Personally, if I were Zhang Xianzhong, I wouldn't agree to it.
If the Qing Army had truly occupied more than half of the territory and only Sichuan remained unconquered, then attempting to persuade them to surrender would make some sense. But how does your Great Qing have the courage to attempt such a thing now? Even the Great Ming has not yet surrendered.
Fu said, "Not only did Zhang Xianzhong refuse, but he also sent men to beat Zhao Zhilong and drive him out. If it hadn't been for his subordinates stopping him, I'm afraid he would have beheaded Zhao Zhilong right then and there."
Zhu Ci was somewhat surprised. "Is he really that hot-tempered?"
Fu explained, "Zhang Xianzhong was once betrayed by his subordinates, so he said that in his life, he hates disloyal and unfilial people most of all."
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: These surrendering officials are quite incompetent. Cat face of disdain. jpg