Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 35: The Reality of the False
Ever since meeting Ustu and the other two, Duoduo has been staring at the simple map on the table in a daze, and the entire central army has therefore delayed its departure time.

The march of an army is not as simple as a large group of people walking. Both the daily marching distance and the place to camp at night are planned in advance.

Even though it was only a short delay, everything that had been planned had to be rearranged. The cost was small, but if other situations arose as a result, it would likely affect the entire battle situation.

Duoduo has been following the army in its conquests since he was young, so he is naturally not such a fool. However, the information brought by Wusitu is really puzzling.

As far as he knew, Yingtian City had high and thick walls, and with a garrison of nearly 300,000 troops, it was a tough nut to crack. There was really no reason for the false emperor to abandon the city and flee.

But if the news brought back by Wusitu is true, then it would be a real opportunity to take over Yingtian in one fell swoop.

But, does the fake emperor have a pig brain?

"Uncle Fifteen, why hasn't the Central Army moved yet?"

Just when Duoduo was puzzled, a voice came from outside the tent, and then a man lifted the curtain and walked in.

"You've come at the right time. Come and discuss this with me."

As soon as Duoduo heard the name, he knew that the person was his nephew Nikan, who was four years older than him.

Nikan was the third son of Nurhaci's eldest son Chu Ying. According to Han Chinese etiquette, his status was truly extremely noble. However, his father was executed when Nikan was five years old, perhaps because his grandfather was afraid of him or for some other reason.

In the following decades, the family lived in fear, but because of similar circumstances, they got along very well with the two brothers Dorgon and Dodo.

With such a relationship as a foundation, he dared to be the only one among the younger generation to call Duoduo "Fifteenth Uncle".

"Uncle Fifteen, if you can't understand it, how can you let me understand it?"

"Listen first."

Nikan's humility did not change Dodo's mind. He knew that his nephew was quite insightful, so he repeated the important points of Ustu's words and waited for his opinion.

But then again, Duoduo was unsure about some things, so how could Nikan come up with any rules in Xumi?
Moreover, although the Qing Dynasty showed signs of swallowing up the world, its foundation was always unstable. If anything went wrong because of what he said...

Looking at Nikan who was thinking hard but still unable to give any advice, Duoduo finally sighed and said, "Let's proceed according to the original plan."

"Well, this is safer," Nikan nodded slightly, and then said as if to comfort Duoduo: "Our army will be able to cross Baohua Mountain tomorrow. If the false emperor really escapes, Yingtian will not be able to cause any major trouble in one or two days."

The strategy had been decided, and Duoduo, who had been in the battlefield for a long time, was not a person who would procrastinate. He casually gave an order and went out with Nikan. However, when the two of them just reached the door of the tent, they heard Geshaha outside report: "Your Majesty, there is an envoy from the Ming Dynasty who wants to see you."

"Ming Envoy?"

The two looked at each other, and then their minds changed slightly and they both showed joy on their faces.

The news from Ustu not only contained the information about the false emperor's escape, but also many details he extracted from the Ming people, so both Duoduo and Nikan had believed it to about 60%.

If it was before entering the country, if there was such an opportunity in front of him, he would have taken it without hesitation even if it required some risks.

But the times now are different, and the Qing Dynasty's tendency to swallow up the world has begun to show signs.

The Qing Dynasty only needs to proceed steadily and gradually erode the Ming Dynasty. There is really no need to take any risky moves.

Otherwise, if they suffered a defeat, the Ming Empire would have little time to recover, and by then it would be hard to say who would win.

That's why Duoduo was so conservative when he couldn't figure out why Hongguang escaped. But even so, he felt as if he had lost a juicy prey because he missed a good opportunity to capture Yingtian. The arrival of the Ming envoy gave him the opportunity to confirm whether the false emperor had escaped. How could they not be overjoyed?
"Bring it up."

After Dodo returned to the seat reserved for the commander of the army, he shouted with a sullen face. Then footsteps were heard outside, and soon a man was brought in by Goshaha.

"Ji Qingyuan, the Imperial Academy Scholar of the Ming Dynasty, greets His Majesty."

Duoduo looked carefully and saw that the man was wearing a green official robe. Although he tried to remain calm, he could not hide the panic in his eyes.

"Did the false emperor send a minor official like you to sacrifice to our army?"

"Your Highness, you are joking. Your Majesty is on an inspection tour. I am here to discuss the rotation of defense in Yingtian with your army."

"Uh-huh?"

The two "hmm"s with completely different tones showed Duoduo's surprise, but the enemy commander's loss of composure made Ji Qingyuan even calmer.

"The defense of Yingtian is now in the hands of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. To prevent the loss of lives, His Royal Highness has sent me to meet His Majesty."

As soon as Duoduo finished speaking, he sneered. Before he could speak, Nikan spoke first: "How dare you! The false emperor has never appointed a crown prince. How dare you lie to me!"

"Your Highness was personally conferred the title by Emperor Xiaolie. You are all Ming ministers. How dare you pretend not to know!"

Nikan's tone was stern, but Ji Qingyuan, who had been a little timid before, did not show any weakness.

Duoduo raised his hand to stop the arguing between the two.

To be honest, what Ji Qingyuan said was true. These people were once citizens of the Ming Dynasty. It was not until Huang Taiji established a new country that they got rid of their identity as Ming people.

Therefore, if they continued to dwell on this issue, they would not gain any advantage. Moreover, he was still thinking about the false emperor's escape, so why would he dwell on such a matter?

"Regardless of whether the prince you are talking about is true or false, as long as he is willing to bring the soldiers and civilians of Yingtian to surrender, why would the Qing Dynasty care about the title of duke or marquis?"

"really?!"

"Of course I take it seriously. How could a prince like me lie?"

Hearing this, Ji Qingyuan seemed to be overwhelmed by joy. He just stood there rubbing his hands, and even seemed to have forgotten the etiquette that civil officials valued the most.

But before he could be happy for long, Duoduo continued, "But you need to explain clearly how the false emperor left Yingtian, and how your prince managed the city defense."

"Your Highness, there are many obstacles in the whole process. How can I explain it clearly in a short time?" Ji Qingyuan said while observing Duoduo's expression. Seeing that he looked unhappy, he continued: "Why don't I respond to your words and pass them on to my highness, so that the people of Liming will not suffer the pain of fleeing."

Duoduo thought for a long time, finally frowned and nodded, then let Gosha take Ji Qingyuan away. But when he and Nikan were the only ones left in the tent, he burst into laughter.

"God really helps the Qing Dynasty!"

"Why is Uncle Fifteen like this?" Nikan seemed confused. After asking, he waited for Duoduo's explanation with a puzzled look on his face.

"It is true that the false emperor has escaped. The city of Yingtian must be in chaos!"

(End of this chapter)