The only thing that could perhaps be condemned is that Chuangwang was too ruthless, but demanding that one's own generals capture the enemy's generals alive was an unreasonable demand to begin with.
If Emperor Jianwen had not been so indecisive back then—wanting to suppress the rebellion yet unwilling to harm his uncle—he would not have ended up missing and unaccounted for.
The matter of Chuangwang had passed, the next thing to be discussed was whom to send to reinforce him.
Based on the retreat route of the Qing Army and the route Li Chuangwang is taking back to the capital, they will certainly encounter each other. Although the Qing Army has lost many famous generals, Haoge and Ajige are still there.
Li Zicheng did not have many troops at his disposal and might not be a match for Haoge and Ajige.
Moreover, the Qing Army is currently at a critical juncture of survival; if they lose this time, their entire clan will be annihilated. It can be said that they are fighting a battle with their backs to the water.
In this situation, it is nothing strange for Haoge and Ajige to perform beyond their normal capacity.
While arranging for men to pursue them, Zhu Ci ordered Li Zicheng not to rush back to the capital, but to keep fighting northward.
Did the Manchus truly believe they would be safe once they left the pass and returned to their own territory? How unfortunate, but Zhu Ci wants their territory as well.
Black soil, vast stretches of black soil—letting nomadic tribes occupy it would be a complete waste of heaven's gifts.
Li Chuangwang was stunned for a moment when he received the order, then he smacked his lips and said to the brave general beside him, "Our Majesty is looking to wipe everyone out, but, I must say, it suits my taste!"
What arrived at Li Zicheng's army was not just the imperial decree, but also a shipment of supplies and reinforcements.
These supplies and reinforcements were not the same group that had been pursuing the Manchus, but a separate group that had circled around from elsewhere.
Li Zicheng directly changed direction and led his troops and horses to charge toward the northeast.
The Manchus fleeing toward Shanhai Pass gradually encountered tribesmen who were running from beyond the Pass toward this direction.
Only through detailed questioning did they learn that Li Zicheng was leading his men to ravage their homeland; he had only captured Shengjing before, but now he was even sparing nothing in Ningguta!
No, it wasn't just Ningguta; Li Zicheng was leading his men all the way to Haishanwei, he was continuing his advance.
The Qing Court was now somewhat at a loss as to which direction to take.
If they had to, they could head north to seek out Khorchin.
It was just that.. when they were strong, Khorchin was their ally, but when they were weak, Khorchin would turn into a man-eating wolf.
Moreover, Khorchin had already lost many Arat to help them before; now, if they want to minimize their losses, they can only target the Qing Court.
Aside from everything else, the Qing Court did take away quite a lot of wealth when they left Beijing.
This was because the Emperor of Ming was pressing them relentlessly, Dorgon's defeat had been so sudden that they left in too much of a hurry; otherwise, they would have certainly engaged in some pillaging and looting in Beijing before departing.
Some of them had already read Han books and knew the saying, "An ordinary man is guilty if he possesses a precious jade."
At this very moment, Haoge, in collusion with Ajige, launched a coup.
No one expected things to reach this point; Haoge still refused to give up his ambition to seize the throne.
Empress Dowager Bumu Tai rebuked them, saying, "What do you want to do? Do you want to destroy the ancestral foundation and bring about the total destruction of the Qing Dynasty?"
Haoge held a long spear in his hand and said bluntly, "The current situation is no longer something that Fulin, a mere child, can handle; his continued presence on the throne will only become a burden to the Qing Dynasty."
Only ten years old, Fulin looked at his mother with some nervousness.
Bumu Tai remained calm at this moment. She looked around and asked, "I suspect Haoge has already surrendered to the Ming Kingdom in private; otherwise, why would he suddenly strike now, when all of you are in peril? He is not just pressuring us mother and son; he is also thrusting all of you into danger."
Bumu Tai focused her attention on Aobai, Ebilun, Hong Chengchou.
These people are the pillars of the current court; when Dorgon went on his expedition, he entrusted the affairs of state to them.
These individuals are also important figures within the allied camp of Dorgon and Bumu Tai.
However, at this moment, none of them spoke.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Zhu Ci: Tear it up, tear it up even louder. Cat clapping paws. jpg
Next update at 6:00 PM~
Chapter 265
Hong Chengchou's feelings were extremely complicated; he couldn't help but wonder if his outcome at this very moment would have been different had he not surrendered back then.
However, on second thought, he had already surrendered to the Qing Court three years ago; even if he had held out back then, he would be nothing but yellow dust by now, long since passed from this world.
Thinking of this, Hong Chengchou looked toward Aobai and Ebilun.
As a Han official, he felt quite embarrassed at this moment; lately, he and the other Han officials had not been having an easy time.
From time to time, they were suspected of whether they intended to betray the Qing Dynasty and surrender to the Ming Kingdom.
Regarding this, even Hong Chengchou had nothing to say; in fact, his treatment was at least somewhat better than that of Fan Wencheng and others.
After all, he had gone on a hunger strike for many days back then, it was only because Hong Taiji treated him with such great favor that he finally surrendered; compared to other Han officials, he possessed a certain level of integrity.
His friend Fan Wencheng and the others were living through truly hellish times.
For this very reason, Hong Chengchou naturally would not take a stance easily.
Ebilun and Aobai exchanged a glance. After a long silence, Aobai said in a muffled voice, "Empress Dowager, Prince Su has a point; the Emperor is still young and indeed cannot support the overall situation."
Bumu Tai looked again at Suksa-ha and Suoni, who were also keeping their hands tucked in their sleeves and remaining silent.
Bumu Tai's figure swayed for a moment; she knew very well that Haoge had almost convinced everyone.
He was determined to succeed in this coup.
Haoge was originally Hong Taiji's eldest son. If he hadn't been blinded by greed and insisted on those three refusals and three acceptances, the officials below had been willing to play along with him, then given Haoge's status and achievements, he would have been very likely to inherit the throne.
Of course, this also has something to do with Dorgon; the one who competed with Haoge for the throne back then was not Fulin, but Dorgon.
Now that Dorgon's fate is unknown after being captured by the Emperor of Ming, it is only natural that Haoge would launch a counterattack to settle the score.
Bumu Tai gripped his handkerchief tightly and said with a composed mind, "You all make valid points. In that case, why not let Prince Su serve as Regent, Prince Ying serve as Co-Regent?"
Prince Su was Haoge, while Prince Ying was Ajige; Ajige was a generation senior to Haoge and was Dorgon's elder brother from the same mother.
This was already the best solution Bumu Tai could have come up with.
Although Ajige and Haoge were not as antagonistic as Jirgalang and Dorgon, their relationship was also quite mediocre.
Bumu Tai simply wanted these two men to keep each other in check.
The Regent was naturally of a higher status than the Prince Regent, but Ajige still held the advantage of his seniority.
If Ajige were to defeat Haoge, Bumu Tai would have nothing to worry about; seeing that the other had lost an eye, it was clear he would no longer have any chance at the throne.
Haoge gave Ajige a contemptuous glance and said, "My uncle is in poor health; I fear he will have little energy."
Ebilun suppressed the urge to sigh, glanced at Suoni and Suksa-ha, felt extremely uncomfortable.
Haoge is the eldest son; in the current situation, there would be no problem in supporting him.
But this Eldest Prince's brain simply wasn't working very well; was choosing him really better than the one currently sitting on the throne?
In truth, they all knew that the child sitting on the throne was not important; the one actually handling state affairs was the Empress Dowager.
It was just that now that the Qing Dynasty had fallen to this state, someone would eventually have to be held accountable.
Dorgon's fate is beyond reckoning, so someone else must be held responsible for this.
The high-ranking officials in the court were certainly unwilling to take the blame; after much discussion, they finally concluded that it must have happened because of the woman who held power over the world.
It was never a good thing for the Empress Dowager to hold power.
Look at the Han people over the last few thousand years; how many have there been Empresses Dowager in power?
Therefore, Haoge's challenge this time was not merely because they felt a capable emperor was needed to restore the prestige of the Qing Dynasty; the main reason was that they wanted to find a scapegoat to shift all the blame onto Dorgon and Bumu Tai, so that everyone else could rest easy.
Bumu Tai remained silent for a long while before turning to look at Haoge and asking, "I beg Prince Su to treat us mother and son well."
Haoge felt a sudden surge of joy in his heart. If possible, he did not want to resort to military force; he was a man who cared about his reputation.
If it hadn't been for that, he wouldn't have insisted on imitating the Han people by staging that whole drama of three requests and three refusals.
To resort to military force was, frankly speaking, somewhat unseemly; if the Empress Dowager and the Emperor were willing to take a step back, it would naturally be for the best.
Haoge said magnanimously, "Rest assured, Empress Dowager. Once I ascend the throne, I will continue to honor you as Empress Dowager, at the same time, I will establish my ninth brother as the Crown Prince."
Bumu Tai sighed and said, "We mother and son do not crave power. Very well.. It is just that performing the rites in a place like this is a bit too rushed; we must at least go to Jinzhou Prefecture. Since Li Zicheng has not continued his southward advance but has instead chosen to head north, let us go to Jinzhou Prefecture."
Upon hearing this, Ebilun and Aobai immediately wanted to object, but Haoge simply nodded and said, "The Empress Dowager makes sense. Let us make haste to Jinzhou Prefecture then."
Ebilun and the others all sighed, feeling that this Prince Su was truly not very bright.
Matters like this are prone to complications if left unsettled; it would certainly be better to finalize them first. Are there no ceremonies that can be made up for later?
It was just that they felt guilty toward Bumu Tai; they had once been Bumu Tai's allies, now they were backstabbing an ally.. one could only say that the remaining scraps of conscience held by these old ministers prevented them from pressing Bumu Tai and Fulin too relentlessly.
Bumu Tai returned to rest with her son, looking exhausted and disappointed.
Just as Zhu Ci was reviewing the memorial regarding whether or not to re-hold the coronation ceremony, Fu brought him news: "The Tartar Empress Dowager is willing to surrender."
Zhu Ci looked up abruptly after hearing this. "What? She wants to surrender? Where did you get this news? Why hasn't she sent an envoy?"
Fu said, "The situation for the Tartar Empress Dowager and the Emperor seems quite precarious, so they need His Majesty to step in and help. The Empress Dowager has requested that as long as the Tartar Emperor can live out the rest of his life in comfort and without want, that would be enough."
Zhu Ci let out a cold laugh after hearing this: "Yet because of them, so many people who could have lived peaceful, prosperous lives until old age have died tragic deaths, now they actually want to live out their lives in peace."
Fu knew that Zhu Ci harbored a deep hatred for the Tartars, so he did not try to persuade him much, merely saying, "The main army has already tracked the Qing Army's movements; it may not be long before they catch up to them. The Tartars might be embroiled in internal strife right now, which only serves to weaken their own strength. Your Majesty also need not respond to that Empress Dowager."
Zhu Ci thought for a moment and said, "I remember that when the Tartars retreated, there seemed to be still over a hundred thousand troops."
“Yes, a rough estimate would be that many.”
Zhu Ci took a deep breath and said with a sigh, "Send someone to reply to the envoy, say that I have accepted her conditions."
After saying that, Zhu Ci asked again, "Oh, right, who was the person who came?"
It is a maidservant from the Empress Dowager's side, named Su Mo'er.
It was her.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Zhu Ci: Fine, if you want to surrender, then surrender. I'm tired of fighting too. A napping kitten. jpg
Next update tomorrow morning at 6:00 AM