Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 294 Crossing the River
In Wujiang City of your province, the generals of Sichuan Province left one by one, and the city suddenly became quiet.

In the government office, Li Chengzhi was reporting on the recent situation of the Qing army.
Since the battle under Bozhou City in late May, the Qing army's movements have been quite strange. For more than a month, the Qing army has neither gathered troops to attack the city again nor simply withdrawn. Instead, it has kept its troops in Loushan Pass. No one knows what their intention is.

Zhu Lang ordered Li Chengzhi to investigate the Qing army's movements. After interrogating a group of captured Qing soldiers, Li Chengzhi roughly figured out the reasons for the Qing army's actions.

Li Chengzhi handed the interrogation results to Zhu Lang, and then reported

"In the battle of Bozhou, the imperial army went out of the city and captured one person, Niulu Ezhen, from the Plain White Banner, and several cavalry captains. After much interrogation, I have roughly understood the situation of the Eastern Tartars at that time."

"According to the captives, since the Eastern Tartars defeated Zhang Xianzhong of the Western Army, there have been divisions within the army."

"The Eastern Tartar commander, Hauge, strongly advocated marching south to attack Sichuan and Guizhou, but the Eastern Tartar deputy commander, Nikan, believed that the main force of the Western Tartars had been defeated and the remaining people in Sichuan would not be able to make any progress, so he asked Hauge to lead the main force back to the court."

"The two sides argued fiercely, but after all, Hauge was the leader of the Eastern Tartars. Judging from the current situation, it should be Hauge who finally suppressed Nikan."

"But after the Qing army lost the battle at Bozhou City, there may be disputes among the Qing army, which is why the Qing army is behaving so strangely."

Zhu Lang glanced at the thick interrogation record in his hand and spoke again

“Why are these two people arguing?”

"This matter is a secret of the Qing army. The captured Niulu'ezhen is only a mid-level general and does not know the details."

"It's just that according to Niulu Ezhen's guess, the Qing court seems to be intending to call Hauge back to the court, and the deputy general Nikan wants to take the opportunity to replace Hauge as the commander-in-chief and seize the credit for Pingchuan, so he is also fanning the flames in the army."

"At this time, both Haugnikan and his side wanted to compete for merit, so there was a disagreement in the Eastern Tartar Army."

Zhu Lang heard this, but did not say anything. He just put down the letter in his hand and then closed his eyes to think.
Zhu Lang did not speak, and Li Chengzhi also stood quietly in the hall. There was silence in the room for a while. After an unknown amount of time, Zhu Lang suddenly opened his eyes, a smile flashed in his eyes, and he spoke softly.

"It seems that the struggle within the Qing court is more intense than I thought."

Although the captured Niulu'ezhen's guess was reasonable, Zhu Lang knew that this matter was definitely not as simple as Haugenikan and the deputy commander arguing for credit.

It is now July. If Zhu Lang's memory is correct, Hauge will be imprisoned by Dorgon in March next year, and will be killed in prison by Dorgon in April.

At this time, the Qing court summoned Haoge back, and it was definitely not just because they didn't want him to win the Pingchuan victory.

The real target of the Qing court or Dorgon was Hauge, and Hauge had obviously sensed the danger through some channels, so he had always refused to return to the court.

People often say that the Ming dynasty fell due to political disputes, but political disputes were not exclusive to the Ming court. The Ming court had political disputes, and the Qing court also had political disputes.
The disputes in the Ming court were nothing more than civil officials hindering each other and disrupting power, but the disputes in the Qing court were not so simple.
The leaders of the various banners of the Qing court each commanded a large number of troops. Once these nobles with military power in their hands started fighting, there would surely be a river of blood.

Zhu Lang's eyes flashed with a fierce look when he thought of this. All parties in Sichuan Province had already made complete arrangements. With the Sichuan generals disrupting the rear and the Bozhou Imperial Army pressing forward step by step, the Ming court was already in an invincible position. It was just a matter of winning more and losing less.
If so, then some things can be done.
If this matter fails, it will only be a waste of effort. If it succeeds, the effect of this matter will be no less than taking another province from the Qing court, or even greater.
Zhu Lang thought of this and stopped hesitating and said directly

"Invite Lord Qu and the others."

Li Chengzhi bowed and left. Qu Shisi, Governor Fan Yan of Gui Province, Zheng Wenxiong and others were soon invited to the hall. When everyone in the hall heard that His Royal Highness the Regent wanted to cross the river to Bozhou, everyone strongly opposed it.
Zhu Lang looked at the ministers below who were all trying to persuade him, and a trace of helplessness flashed across his face. Zhu Lang's eyes turned, and he spoke

"Although Sichuan Province has been properly arranged, it will take time for the generals of Sichuan Province to gather troops and prepare food. I am heading to Bozhou at this time to attract the main force of the Qing army and buy time for the generals of Sichuan Province."

"Bozhou City is guarded by tens of thousands of imperial guards. The Qing army has not dared to attack the city in the past month. The imperial guards in the city are enough to protect my safety. You don't have to worry too much."

Qu Shisi below heard this without any hesitation and said directly

"A son of a millionaire should not sit in a hall. Bozhou has become a battlefield. Your Highness's body is worth a million dollars, and you must not enter Bozhou at this time!"

"The matter of summoning the generals of Sichuan Province is extremely secret. Not to mention that the Qing army is unlikely to know, even if the Qing army really finds out, Your Highness must not put yourself in danger. Your Highness shoulders the heavy responsibility of the world, how can you put yourself in danger for this city?"

Zheng Wenxiong and others below all nodded when they heard this, and then they followed suit again to persuade Zhu Lang to withdraw his order.
Zhu Lang looked at Qu Shisi, who was determined below him, and knew that without sufficient reasons, Qu Shisi and others would never let him cross the river.

Zhu Lang was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke softly

"Master Qu, please stay. The rest of the ministers, please leave first."

Upon hearing this, Fan Yan, Zheng Wenxiong and others looked at each other in bewilderment. They also knew that His Royal Highness the Regent might want to persuade Qu Shisi alone.

Everyone followed the order and left. Soon only Zhu Lang and Qu Shisi were left in the room.

Qu Shisi looked at His Royal Highness the Regent above him with a serious expression on his face. Wujiang Pass was very close to the front line of Bozhou.
This time the court agreed to let His Royal Highness the Regent go to Wujiang Pass, which was an exception. If Qu Shisi were to make the arrangements, the generals of Sichuan Province would definitely go to Guiyang to attend the meeting.
At this time, His Royal Highness the Regent was not satisfied with reaching Wujiang Pass, and even wanted to move directly into Bozhou City. He had already made up his mind that no matter what, His Royal Highness the Regent would never be allowed to cross the river.
Seeing that everyone in the hall had left, Zhu Lang no longer concealed his plan and directly told Qu Shisi about it.

After hearing what Zhu Lang said, the determination on Qu Shisi's face disappeared completely, leaving only astonishment.
"How is this possible? This is all just speculation by Your Highness. Now that the Qinglu Emperor has been confirmed, who dares to be so rebellious?"

Zhu Lang looked at Qu Shisi, who looked suspicious, but shook his head and said

"The situation in Hauge's army was obtained by interrogating prisoners, and the news from the capital was also confirmed. How could it be based on speculation?"

"The combination of the two shows that the struggle within the Qing Dynasty has reached a critical point!"

"But Lord Qu cannot use the customs of our Central Plains to measure the situation of the Qing barbarians. The system of the Qing barbarians is very different from that of our Central Plains. Although they also established a title and system, they have only been in power for more than ten years. If we go back twenty years, there is no Qing barbarian dynasty."

"The Qing Lu's predecessor was a hunting tribe. Such barbarians have always respected strength. The leaders of the eight banners in the Qing Lu court each controlled a large number of soldiers and money, which was incomparable to ordinary ministers."

"If we force a comparison, the leaders of the Eight Banners are like the princes in ancient times, and Shunzhi is just a common leader elected by the princes of all parties." "Now the ministers in the Qing court are strong and the ruler is weak. Emperor Shunzhi is only a ten-year-old child. Dorgon wants to use the name of Emperor Shunzhi to sweep the court. How can the princes of the Qing court obey?"

"Once the Central Plains throne is unified and confirmed, we will be the common ruler of the world and all the people will submit to us. However, this may not be the case for the Qing invaders."

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If you miss it, you will never have this chance again in the future."

"Bozhou City has tens of thousands of imperial guards, and is defended by city walls and dozens of red cannons. Even if the Qing invaders come with their entire army, what can they do? There will be basically no danger."

"I have been planning this for a long time. Now that Lord Qu knows the plan, do you still want to stop me?"

When Qu Shixi heard this, his expression became more and more tangled, and he did not respond for a long time.
After Zhu Lang and Qu Shisi had a secret talk, they began to build a floating bridge over the Wujiang River the next day. Although everyone did not know what the Regent talked about with Qu Shisi, they knew that after the secret talk, Qu Shisi no longer expressed his opinion on the Regent's crossing the river, which actually meant that he had tacitly agreed to the matter.
After Qu Shisi changed his attitude, the remaining officials of the province could no longer stop Zhu Lang. After the pontoon bridge was built, Zhu Lang crossed the river under the protection of Zheng Wenxiong and other generals.
Zhu Lang arrived at Bozhou City, and a golden dragon flag was soon raised on the top of the city wall.

Qijiang, the main camp of the Qing army. Since the defeat at Bozhou in late May, the Qing army's actions have basically stopped. It's not that the Qing army doesn't want to move, but the differences between the chief and deputy commanders of the Qing army have reached a point where they are difficult to reconcile.

The commander-in-chief Hauge and his deputy commander-in-chief Nikan had several arguments in public, but they all ended in unpleasantness, and neither could convince the other.
The two sides were deadlocked and could only report the situation on the front line to the court in the form of urgent dispatches, waiting for the central government of the Qing Dynasty to make a decision.

At the Qijiang government office, Aobai, Man Dahai and others once again entered the hall. At this time, the high-ranking generals of the Zhenglan and Zhengbai flags were already sitting in the hall. The two knew that the two sides might have to fight again today.

In the lobby, Hauge sat expressionless, while Nikan had a gloomy look on his face.
When Nikan saw that everyone had arrived, he spoke directly.

"A few days ago, we were near Bozhou and finally captured a Ming army cavalry scout alive. After interrogation, we have roughly understood the situation of the Ming army in Bozhou City."

"The Ming troops in Bozhou City are not the remnants of Sichuan Province, nor are they the troops from the southwest, but reinforcements from Guangxi Province."

"According to the Ming army captives, the Ming army that came to Sichuan to provide support this time is most likely the elite Ming imperial army that defeated Bolo in Fujian Province. It is said that even the Ming court's regent Gui came with the army to personally lead the expedition to the southwest."

"The elite troops of the Ming court are now gathered in Bozhou City, and there are heavy artillery and city walls for defense. The road from Qijiang to Bozhou is hundreds of miles long and is all mountainous. The Ming army now has the advantage of time and place. We must not attack Bozhou anymore and must withdraw our troops immediately."

Aobai and others' expressions changed slightly when they heard this. At the end of last year, the Qing Dynasty was defeated in Fujian and Zhejiang, and even Bolo, the commander of the southern expedition, was defeated and died. After this matter was reported back to the court, it had a great impact on the Qing court.
At this time, the two yellow and white banners were the top three banners in the Qing court. The white and yellow banners led by Boloturai were the elite among the elite of the Eight Banners. Boloturai was also a brave general in the Qing court. Even such an elite was annihilated by the Ming court's imperial army. Who dared to despise him at this time?

Seeing the solemn expressions of the people in the field, Haoge's face turned cold and he said

"It is precisely because the Ming imperial army has entered Sichuan that we cannot retreat!"

"The Ming army is coming aggressively at this time. You don't think that the Ming court has sent this imperial army all the way here just to defend this small Bozhou city, do you?"

"The Ming army must be coming to attack Sichuan. If we withdraw now, the Ming army will follow us into Sichuan. Sichuan is full of Han people. If the Ming army really enters the hinterland of Sichuan, our situation will become even more passive."

"So what if the Ming imperial army was defeated? The failure of Fujian and Zhejiang was caused by that useless Bolo. Four thousand warriors of the Qing Dynasty were killed in vain by Bolo. Even if he didn't die in the battle, I would definitely report it to the court and have that useless person executed."

"Why, the defeat of Fujian and Zhejiang has frightened you, Nikan? You are afraid of the Ming army, but I am not!"

Hauge looked at Nikan who was about to speak up to refute, but he didn't give him any chance. Hauge looked at the generals below, his eyes flickered, and he continued to speak.

"We must not retreat at this time. The Ming court has taken the initiative to mobilize its main force, and we will take this opportunity to gather together and annihilate them."

"At this time, we should immediately order Hanzhong in Qin Province to mobilize more food and money to Sichuan, and then dispatch the Red Barbarians' heavy artillery to attack the city. As long as we wipe out the Ming imperial guards in Bozhou City, the Ming court will no longer be able to resist."

"This will not only save Sichuan Province from danger, but also allow Yunnan and Guizhou provinces to fall into the hands of the Qing Dynasty. This is a permanent solution."

"My warriors of the Qing Dynasty have been invincible since we entered the Pass. We have never taken the initiative to retreat. Nikan, you are asking me to avoid the Ming army at this moment. It's ridiculous!"

Nikan's face darkened when he heard what Hauge said. The Qing army was led by cavalry, and anyone with a discerning eye could see that forcing the Qing army to dismount and attack the city was clearly a short-handed attack against a long-handed one. However, Hauge ignored the situation and was determined not to retreat.

Nikan knew very well that Hauge was not trying to wipe out the Ming imperial guards and recover the southwest for the court.

Hauge was also a veteran in the army. How could he not know that attacking the city at this time would be futile?

Nikan was sure that even if Qin Province sent in food, money and heavy artillery, Hauge would never launch a large-scale attack on the city. The Zhenglan Banner was Hauge's family property. How could he use his own elite troops to attack the city under artillery fire?
Hauge insisted on attacking the city at this time just to take the opportunity to ask for food from the court. Moreover, he not only wanted food, but also wanted the Red Barbarian heavy artillery!
Once Hauge gets his hands on food, money and artillery, no one knows what he will do next. By then, Hauge will probably become even more powerful and difficult to control.

Nikan's face darkened, and he spoke again

"Prince Su, the world is still unsettled at this moment. The Qing Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty are competing for supremacy in the Central Plains, and the outcome is still undecided. We should put public affairs first. Prince Su is an important official of the country, how can we treat him as a personal matter..."

Before Nikan finished speaking, the guard of the Zhenglan Banner, Deerdehe, suddenly broke into the tent.
Deldehe entered the tent, ignored everyone in the room, and went straight up to whisper to Hauge.
After listening to Deldehe's report, Hauge's face froze at first, but then he looked at the letter in his hand and a smile suddenly appeared on his face.

Nikan looked at the smile on Hauge's face, but his heart suddenly sank. Sure enough, the next moment Hauge looked at Nikan below and smiled softly.
"General Nikan's intelligence is indeed accurate. This time it is indeed the Ming Tinggui Regent who came in person to lead the army."

Hauge raised the report in his hand and said

"The latest information sent back by the scouts is that the dragon flag has been raised in Bozhou City, and the Ming Tinggui Regent has already arrived in Bozhou City."

Nikan was stunned when he heard this, and then his heart sank completely. He knew that no one could stop Haoge this time.
Zhu Lang's dragon flag suddenly appeared in Bozhou City, completely cutting off Nikan's possibility of withdrawing his troops.
The Qing army fled wherever the Ming court's dragon flag went. No one could bear the accusation of such a crime. At the moment Zhu Lang's dragon flag was raised on the top of Bozhou City, no one in the Qing army dared to withdraw.

The news that the Ming court regent appeared in Bozhou was passed back to the Qing court. The reaction of the court was just as Nikan had expected. They did not dare to retreat. Dorgon, the core of the Qing court, did not dare to retreat either.
The Qing court's order soon reached Sichuan Province, and Haoge was appointed to lead the military and political affairs of Sichuan Province, and to lead the army to defeat the invading enemies of the Ming court and ensure that Sichuan Province would not be lost.
This edict did not even mention the requirement to capture the Ming court regent. In fact, Dorgon wanted to add this requirement, but the situation in the court did not allow him to add this requirement.

All the elite troops under your command, Dorgon, were annihilated. How can you have the nerve to ask others to capture and execute the Ming Dynasty Regent?

After the Qing court's edict arrived in Sichuan Province, Hauge completely took control of the army. Food and money from Hanzhong, Qin Province began to be transported to Sichuan, and Hauge led the army to march towards Bozhou.
(End of this chapter)