Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 296 Envoy
In the Qing army camp, Haoge sat in his tent with a depressed look on his face.
The armies of the Ming and Qing dynasties had been facing each other for seven or eight days. Since the battle outside the city that day, the two sides had faced each other several times under the city, but the Qing army still could not find a way to deal with the Ming cavalry.

After a few days of confrontation, the Qing army also roughly figured out the details of the opposing cavalry.

Hauge and others originally thought that the reason why the Ming Dynasty light cavalry could fire bullets continuously was because they used the method of segmented shooting. This method was a common tactic in infantry muskets and was not uncommon.

However, after capturing a panicked Ming cavalryman, the Qing army identified the enemy and found that the enemy was not using the common bird guns at that time, but a self-propelled fire gun.
Each member of this Ming army light cavalry was equipped with three self-propelled muskets, and after loading the bullets, they could be fired almost by raising the gun.

This means that the Ming cavalry did not fire 500 bullets in three rounds, but could fire a total of 1,500 bullets in three rounds, increasing the firepower density by three times.

Although the Qing army had figured out the details of this strange Ming army light cavalry, they still had no way to deal with it.

These Ming army flint-haired cavalrymen were all wearing light armor, and their horsepower far exceeded that of the Qing army cavalrymen wearing full armor, so they did not engage in direct combat with them at all.

These Ming cavalrymen would often retreat to the front of the chariot formation immediately after firing a round, and then rush to the front of the formation to fire another round after reloading.

The Qing army also considered letting the soldiers take off their full armor and fight in light armor, but this was also unsuccessful. The firepower of the Ming army's flintlock cavalry was too dense. If they were unarmored, half of the Qing cavalry would probably fall before the battle even started.

The best way to deal with such light cavalry is to intercept them with superior force.
As long as they could engage in close combat, the Ming army's light cavalry would have little power to resist the fully armored Manchu cavalry.

But this also didn't work. As long as the Qing army sent out more than a thousand cavalry, the Ming cavalry on the opposite side would not come out at all, but would just hide behind the chariot array.
Seeing that the cavalry was unable to break through, Hauge and his men decided to break through the Ming army's chariot formation first.
The Qing army drove nearly 10,000 civilians to charge the battle array with shield carts, but the firepower of the two Ming army camps on the opposite side was too terrifying. One or two hundred artillery pieces fired at the same time, and the surrendered soldiers and civilians often completely collapsed before they could charge halfway.

After seeing the firepower of the Ming imperial guards, Hauge and the others were all silent.
This is not the kind of tiger squat cannon that weighs dozens of pounds and can only shoot 70 to 80 meters away, but two or three hundred Portuguese cannons that can shoot 300 to 400 meters away.

If the Qing army really wanted to attack, they would have to endure two or three rounds of artillery bombardment that was enough to smash the shield carts before they could get close to the Ming army's chariot camp.
Once they were within eighty steps, they had to endure the fire of muskets and arrows from the two-wheeled chariot formation.
After they had survived these two rounds of bombardment and finally reached the front, they still had to attack the shield carts and walls that the Ming army had already deployed.
Just thinking about the process of this attack is enough to make the Qing army's scalp tingle.

Unless Haoge Aobai and others have made up their minds to fight all these 20,000 bannermen to destroy this powerful enemy for the Qing court and capture the Ming emperor in the city, no one would be crazy enough to attack such a chariot array.
Not to mention Hauge, even Nikan would not be willing to waste his troops like this.
Hauge and his men had no way to deal with the Ming army that surrounded them like an iron barrel, so they could only remain deadlocked outside the city.

As the war went badly in the past few days, Nikan began to incite the army to withdraw.
Hauge was upset, partly because of Nikan, but more because of the Ming army under the city.

Previously, he had not taken the so-called imperial guards of the Ming court seriously, but after the actual battle, the strength of the imperial guards of the Ming court was far beyond his expectations.

The Ming court brought the elite imperial army all the way to Bozhou, and it was obvious that they would not give up easily. He was the commander-in-chief of the Qing court in Sichuan Province. Although the two sides were in confrontation now, they would definitely fight in the end.

Hauge was not afraid of the Ming army. The blue banner soldiers under his command were also a strong army that had fought for more than ten years since the founding of the Qing Dynasty.

Hauge did not think he would lose, but he did not want to let his elite troops fight the Ming court for nothing. These 10,000 Zhenglan Banner soldiers were not only his assets, but also his capital for self-protection.

Now that he has full control of the army, and Dorgon Nikan and others are so aggressive, if the Zhenglan Banner under his command suffers too much damage, his own situation in the Qing court will become even worse.
Haoge was thinking about the situation in the court and was feeling annoyed, but at this moment the door of the tent suddenly opened, and Gushan Ezhenjue Luo Bahana suddenly hurried into the tent.
Jueluo Bahana walked up to Haoge and whispered a few words. When Haoge heard the report, a trace of surprise flashed across his face.

"You mean the Ming court sent an envoy here?"

"Yes, this morning a captured soldier of the Zhenglan Banner was brought back by our scouts, along with an envoy from the Ming court."

"According to the Ming envoy, he was a special envoy of the Ming court's Gui Regent, and came to the camp to pay a visit to the prince. Moreover, the Ming envoy said that he only saw the prince."

"Only see this king?"

When Haoge heard this, he frowned slightly. Even if the Ming court wanted to send an envoy to discuss matters, it should have been well-mannered and come to the Qing army camp to discuss.
The Ming envoy is now being evasive. What does it mean to return to the camp with the captives? He doesn't remember what kind of relationship he had with the Ming court's Gui Regent.

"Does anyone else know about this person's visit?"

"No, I have detained the Ming envoy and the cavalry that brought him back somewhere else."

"I came here to report immediately after receiving the news. Now, except for the prince, no one knows that the Ming court envoy has entered the camp."

Seeing Haoge frowning and remaining silent for a long time, Juelu Bahana spoke again

"Your Majesty, do you want to see that person? If not, I will deal with him on the spot."

"This person came here secretly. If Nikan and his people knew about it, it might be bad for the prince."

After hearing this, Haoge came to his senses and said

"Bring him here. I want to see what this Ming Tinggui Regent wants to see me about."

Jueluo Bahana took the order and left. Not long after, a middle-aged man in coarse linen clothes came into Haoge's tent with a tray and tea bowls, just like a Han Chinese servant in the camp.

At this time, there was no one in Haoge's tent. Liu Xiangke entered the tent and put down the tea tray in his hand.
Liu Xiangke straightened his clothes and bowed to Haoge, who was wearing a brocade robe, and said:
"Liu Xiangke, the Chief Censor of the Ming Dynasty, greets His Excellency Prince Su."

Haoge glanced at Liu Xiangke, who was standing straight below him, with a calm expression on his face, and said

"What did the King of Gui ask you to do? You have thought it through and are ready to submit to the Qing court."

"The Ming court is doomed. If the King of Gui surrenders early, he will have a peaceful ending. If I take over Bozhou, you will not be able to die."

Liu Xiangke listened to Haoge's words, but his face was calm, without any anger, and he smiled softly.
"Prince Su loves to joke. My Ming imperial army and the Qing army have been confronting each other under the city of Bozhou for seven or eight days."

"If the Qing court really has the ability to defeat the Ming imperial army, why hasn't it attacked yet? The Ming army has deployed its troops in the open field, and the Qing army doesn't even dare to attack, let alone capture Bozhou."

Hearing this, Haoge's face darkened and he said

"Since you are not prepared to surrender, then why did the King of Gui send you here? I don't remember any friendship between me and you, the King of Gui in the Ming court."

Liu Xiangke looked at Haoge, his expression was serious, and he said

"I am here on the orders of His Royal Highness Gui, the Regent, to rescue His Excellency Prince Su."

"Prince Su, you know that you are in imminent danger now!"

Haoge heard what Liu Xiangke said, but his face was not surprised at all, and he sneered

"You are the kind of person who is said to be a strategist among the Han people, speaking falsely of threats and making pretentious statements."

"I am not in the mood to listen to your nonsense. If you came here today just to talk nonsense, then prepare to die."

"Han people who join my tent must either kneel down and become slaves, or die."

As soon as Haoge finished speaking, Juelu Baha beside him also looked cold, and he drew out his sword with a clang and put it on Liu Xiangke's neck.

Liu Xiangke glanced at Juelu Bahana beside him, then looked away. Liu Xiangke's face was calm, and he said, "Why are you threatening me with empty words? Prince Su should know the current situation of Prince Su best."

"The Qing court repeatedly ordered the recall of Prince Su, why did Prince Su not return?"

"Prince Su has made great contributions to the Qing court in Sichuan and Shaanxi. It is reasonable that he should be rewarded with an official title when he returns to the court. However, Prince Su is reluctant to return to the court because he is reluctant to return to the court. Do you need me to explain the reason?"

When Haoge heard what Liu Xiangke said, his heart sank, but he didn't show it on his face. He said in a cold voice:
"I am not returning to the court because I have not yet completed my great service. Once I conquer Bozhou and seize the southwest for the court, I will return to the court to receive my reward."

Liu Xiangke shook his head, his face became serious, and he said

"The greater the achievements of Prince Su in the southwest, the more dangerous he will be."

"If Prince Su really seizes the southwest, when he returns to the court, what awaits Prince Su may not be promotion or reward, but death."

"It's not that Prince Su is unwilling to return to the court at this time, but that he cannot return to the court!"

Hearing this, Haoge's expression finally darkened. However, Haoge ignored what Liu Xiangke said and said in a deep voice:
"How did you know that the court wanted to summon me back to Beijing?"

"From the interrogation of the captured White Banner Niulu Ezhen, it is no longer a secret to the Ming Dynasty that Nikan has repeatedly urged Prince Su to withdraw his troops and return to Beijing."

"The White Banner led by Nikan is the direct line of Dorgon. I don't need to say more about who is the real mastermind."

Hauge was slightly surprised to hear Liu Xiangke speak so directly about the source of the information.
But when Liu Xiangke mentioned Dorgon's name, Haoge's luck was completely gone, knowing that the Ming army had already figured out the current situation in the army.
"Although I have had some disputes with Dorgon, so what? My relationship with Dorgon is not harmonious, and everyone in the court knows it."

"Although Dorgon is the regent, I am also the Prince Su. What can he do to me? You are wishful thinking if you want to sow discord among the important officials of the Qing Dynasty."

"I will hand you over to the imperial court so that you, a spy of the Ming court, can see what happens when you instigate the officials of the Qing court."

Liu Xiangke looked at Haoge with a cold expression, but suddenly chuckled and said

"Is that really the case?"

"In that case, I will report another piece of news to Prince Su."

"Not long ago, the Qing court's regent, Jirgalang, was punished by Dorgon for violating the rules of his residence. Jirgalang was fined 2,000 silver coins and his regent power was taken away."

When Haoge heard this, he was shocked, and then his face immediately turned cold, and he shouted

"Impossible, how could this king not know about such a big thing?"

"How dare you, a lowly slave, lie and seek death"

Liu Xiangke saw Haoge yelling, but his face remained calm and he said

"If I had made up such a big story, I'm afraid Prince Su would be able to verify it in no time. If that's the case, what's the point of me making up this lie?"

"This incident happened just half a month ago. After our Great Ming learned the news in the capital, we sent the news back overnight by express delivery over 800 miles. During the journey, the news was transferred by water for several times, and it was only a few days ago that the news was delivered to Sichuan."

"This matter is now known to everyone in the Qing court, so why should it be compiled again?"

Looking at Liu Xiangke's calm expression, Haoge's heart sank. He knew that what Liu Xiangke said was very likely true. Prince Zheng Jirgalang might have really been deprived of his position by Dorgon.

This time also explains why he did not receive the news. Of course, he also had spies in the capital, but they were obviously not comparable to the Ming court.
If his guess was correct, his scouts in the capital were probably rushing to Sichuan at this time, and the news should reach the army in a few days.
This matter is very easy to disprove, and it is almost impossible for the Ming court to fake it. Hauge thought of Nikan's actions in the past month, which made him more and more convinced of the authenticity of this news.

Since Subai secretly arrived at the army, Nikan has become more and more domineering. After the failure to capture Bozhou last month, Nikan even dared to contradict him face to face. In the end, he even wanted to submit a petition to the court and refused to obey his orders.

Why did Nikan suddenly become so bold? It must be because Nikan knew about this matter in advance and knew that Dorgon had already taken control of the government, so he dared to be so fearless.

Jirgalang, that old Wu... a good man with such a long career and such patience, was still seized by Dorgon at this time. It can be seen that in the two years since he left the court, Dorgon's control over the court has reached a level that others cannot shake.

Jirgalang and Dorgon were both granted the title of regent uncle prince. Now one regent uncle prince dismissed the other one. This is simply absurd. Now that even Jirgalang has fallen, who should be the next?
Liu Xiangke looked at Haoge, who had a gloomy expression, and a smile appeared on his face. He said

"By the way, although Jirgalang was deprived of his position as the regent uncle, there is now another regent uncle in the Qing court. Prince Su might as well guess who this new regent uncle is."

"Dodo, is it Dodo?"

Haoge's expression turned cold, and he stared at Liu Xiangke below. Without any hesitation, he spoke directly. Liu Xiangke nodded and said

"That's right, Prince Su is smart. The new regent of the Qing court is Dorgon's younger brother, Duoduo, and his title is Prince Deyu, the regent uncle."

When Haoge heard Liu Xiangke's confirmation, his expression became completely gloomy.
Dorgon and Dodo are brothers. Now one of them is the regent and the other is the assistant. So is the Qing court actually the lineage of Huang Taiji or Dorgon?

In fact, Dorgon had already revealed his ambitions in the court. Before entering the Pass, Dorgon was the assistant uncle. After entering the Pass, Dorgon became the uncle regent. After four or five years, even the uncle regent could not satisfy Dorgon, so he directly became the emperor's uncle regent.

Last year, that is, in 1946, Dorgon actually said that it was inconvenient to handle state affairs, so he ordered the emperor's seal to be taken to the regent's palace, and Dorgon himself took charge of the emperor's seal.
In fact, if the development of the previous life goes by, it won’t be long before the word “shu” in Dorgon’s title of “imperial uncle and regent” will be removed and he will become “imperial father and regent”.
What is an imperial father? It means the emperor's father. When Dorgon becomes the emperor's father, no one knows what he will do next.
Dorgon's plan to eliminate dissidents was already obvious. Jirgalang was dismissed from his post as regent just because his mansion violated the rules. What does it mean to violate the rules? It means that he built a few more courtyards and used a few more tiles.

If this is a severe punishment, then the ceremonial guards used by Dorgon are equal to those of the emperor, and moving the emperor's seal back to the palace is even more treasonous, and he should be executed along with his entire clan.
Liu Xiangke looked at Haoge above him with a gloomy expression, his eyes turned, and he spoke again

"Bolo under Dorgon suffered a great defeat in Zhejiang and Fujian, while Prince Su won victory after victory in Sichuan and Shaanxi and made great contributions. If Prince Su returns to the court at this time, I don't know what Dorgon will do..."

Before Liu Xiangke could finish his words, Haoge interrupted him with a wave of his hand. Haoge looked at Liu Xiangke below and said in a deep voice:

"Why did the King of Gui send you here? Just tell me straight away. I don't want to play tricks on you."

Liu Xiangke did not reply but looked at Juelu Bahana in the tent.
When Juelu Baha saw Liu Xiangke, he knew what Liu Xiangke meant. Juelu Baha was furious and wanted to teach this Han minister a lesson.

Seeing this, Hauge waved his hand and said

"Don't worry, just say whatever you want to say."

Liu Xiangke straightened his face after hearing this and said

"His Royal Highness Gui, the Regent, wishes to meet with Prince Su in person to discuss important matters. Is Prince Su willing to meet him on the battlefield?"

After Liu Xiangke finished speaking, he stared at Haoge above him. Haoge was also shocked when he heard the words, and he didn't react for a long time.

(End of this chapter)