Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1023 Seizing Power
After receiving the order, Wu Mengming rushed to Jeju Island. As soon as he arrived in Jeju Island, Hauge's envoy came to the island again.

When he learned about this and read the letter from Hauge, Wu Mengming was filled with admiration for Zhu Shenzui. He had never thought that there would be such a coincidence in the world. Hauge showed such an attitude when he was sent to Jeju Island.

Actually, this is indeed a coincidence. Zhu Shenzhui is not a god, and of course he does not know the complex situation and sudden changes within the Qing Dynasty. He only makes inferences based on the previous situation in Korea. Moreover, he sent Wu Mengming to Jeju Island to see if he could open a gap through Hauge. It was just a casual move, but he did not expect that Zhezhe's sudden death would lead to a huge change within the Qing Dynasty, causing Hauge to take the initiative to contact the Ming Dynasty.

Wu Mengming did not dare to neglect this situation and quickly delivered Haoge's letter to the capital through the Jinyiwei channel. A few days later, it reached Zhu Shenzhui's hands.

After Zhu Shenzui read Haoge's letter, he also learned about Zhezhe's death. Combining the two things, he quickly judged Haoge's current situation and couldn't help laughing.

It was like a pillow falling for a sleepy man. In order to protect himself, Haoge wanted to turn against Dorgon, which was exactly what the Ming Dynasty wanted to see. If it was someone else, it would be fine, but Haoge's identity was different. He was the eldest son of Huang Taiji and the original heir to the throne of the Qing Dynasty. However, he lost the throne because of Dorgon, and now he was forced to such a degree. If he could make good use of it, it would be a good thing for the Ming Dynasty.

Without any hesitation, Zhu Shenzui immediately ordered Wu Mengming to stay on Jeju Island and negotiate with Hauge's envoys.

Zhu Shenzui gave Wu Mengming considerable authority in the negotiation process. Without harming the interests of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty could support the struggle between Hauge and Dorgon, and could even support Hauge's attempt to regain the throne as the eldest son of Huang Taiji.

Of course, this also has a prerequisite, that is, the Qing Dynasty must respect the Ming Dynasty as its master, change its previous hostile actions against the Ming Dynasty, and completely end the war in Liaodong. In addition, once Hauge regains power, he must also give up his imperial title and rely on the Ming Dynasty as a vassal state, becoming a local force in Liaodong and no longer being on an equal footing with the Ming Dynasty as before.

This condition was not harsh. After all, the Later Jin was a vassal of the Ming Dynasty in Liaodong. If it were not for Nurhaci, the Later Jin would have been just a tribe. Even after Huang Taiji changed the name of the Later Jin to the Qing Dynasty and proclaimed himself emperor, he took the initiative to propose peace talks with the Ming Dynasty in order to paralyze the Ming Dynasty, and was willing to give up the title of Khan again.

So from this point of view it is just a name, but this name is very important to the Ming Dynasty. As long as there is such a name, the action of supporting Hauge in the Ming Dynasty is correct. Otherwise, those civil and military officials who clamor to destroy the Jiannu would never agree to do so. Even if Zhu Shenzhui was the emperor, he would not insist on doing so under such politically correct circumstances.

In addition, the Ming Dynasty would not directly intervene in the possible war between Hauge and Dorgon, but the Ming Dynasty could do something about the Korean issue. Isn't Korea currently in civil strife? Hauge was never able to quell the chaos in Korea, and the real behind-the-scenes promoter of this chaos was the Ming Dynasty.

The new king of Korea was in the hands of the Ming Dynasty, and Li Yu was just a child, a puppet to Zhu Shenzhu. He was no different from Li Cheng, the Chongshan King established by Haoge, except that Li Yu was canonized by the Ming Dynasty court and was more accepted by the Korean people.

As for the so-called Grand Marshal of the Army, Prince Ayawada Yi Yu, he was also a pawn. Prince Ayawada Yi Yu did not have much talent. Apart from the nominal title of the Korean royal family and the appointment of the new king, his ability and prestige were not enough for him to truly command the Korean army and compete with Hauge.

From this, it can be seen that the reason why Hauge could not quell the chaos in Korea was not because of his inability, but because of other factors. On the one hand, Hauge's previous actions in Seoul made the people of Korea united against the enemy and generated great hatred and resistance to the Qing Dynasty. On the other hand, the coexistence of two kings made most people in Korea prefer Li Yun, who was established by the Ming Dynasty, rather than Li Cheng, who was controlled by Hauge. As for the third reason, Ajige's inaction also made Hauge's progress in quelling the civil strife in Korea unsuccessful. Coupled with the lack of troops in Hauge's hands and the hindrance from Shengjing, Hauge had no way to solve the Korean problem in a short time, resulting in the inability to quell the chaos in Korea.

If the Ming Dynasty had changed its attitude appropriately at this time, or secretly helped Hauge to stabilize the political situation in Korea, the situation of Hauge stabilizing Korea would have been completely different. It should be noted that the fact that Korea could compete with Hauge to this extent under such circumstances was entirely due to the Ming Dynasty. Once the support of the Ming Dynasty was gone, Hauge would have no worries and could easily solve the Korean problem.

From this point of view, it is equivalent to the Ming Dynasty selling out the interests of Korea in exchange for support for Hauge, which is the best thing for Hauge. Once he controls Korea, Hauge will have the capital to confront Dorgon, and it is not so easy for Dorgon to rely on the power of the Qing Dynasty to deal with Hauge in Korea. From this result, it is Korea that is ultimately damaged. This is the sadness of a small country. Between the interests of countries, a small country like Korea cannot compete with a behemoth like the Ming Dynasty, and once the Ming Dynasty completely abandons Korea, maybe Korea will no longer exist. As it is now, if it turns to unite with Hauge, perhaps the small court of Korea can still continue. At least the country is there, and Korea is still there.

Based on this, the cooperation between the Ming Dynasty and Hauge has made substantial progress. In order to protect himself and fight against Dorgon, Hauge has no other choice, unless he is willing to face Dorgon and surrender. But for the proud Hauge, he is absolutely unwilling to bow down in front of Dorgon.
Hauge did not have many choices, and he did not have enough time to think too much. Hauge soon made up his mind to join forces with the Ming Dynasty to fight against Dorgon, to establish himself in Korea, and to express his objection to the throne of the Qing Dynasty.

In addition, Hauge decided to completely break off relations and publicly questioned the death of Empress Dowager Zhezhe. He even questioned Fulin's legitimacy under the pretext of doubting whether he was really the son of Huang Taiji, intending to muddy the waters and win over the Eight Banners to his side.

But before doing these things, Hauge had another key problem to solve, that is the problem of Ajige. Ajige was in Korea now, and he had quite a few troops under his command. Moreover, the relationship between Ajige and Dorgon was well known. If Ajige could not be solved, then Hauge would have to bear the attack from Ajige first once he launched the war.

Therefore, the first step Hauge had to take was to get rid of Ajige. For this reason, Hauge did not launch the attack immediately, but continued to maintain the previous status on the surface. He also notified Ajige to come to Seoul on the pretext of Shengjing's order, and prepared to transfer the army in Seoul to Ajige according to Dorgon's order, and then return to Shengjing.

After hearing the news, Ajige didn't think much about it. In Ajige's opinion, Hauge was now a fish on the chopping board and could not make any trouble at all.

Since the death of Empress Dowager Zhezhe, Dorgon became the Prince Regent, and Ajige became more confident. In his opinion, as Dorgon's elder brother, his younger brother has become the de facto number one in the Qing Dynasty, so his title of Prince of a County will definitely be further promoted, from Prince of a County to Prince of a County, and maybe he will be able to get a position as a regent or even Prince Regent soon. By then, the brothers will work together to control the government. Who in the Qing Dynasty can compete with them?

After settling his troops, Ajige came to Seoul with a thousand men. Seoul was not unfamiliar to him. After all, before Hauge came, he was stationed in Seoul as the highest administrative officer of the Qing Dynasty in Korea. It was just that after Hauge came, this position was replaced by Hauge, and Ajige became Hauge's deputy instead.

At present, the rebellion in various parts of Korea is still continuing, and Ajige cannot withdraw all his troops at this time, so he only brought his elite subordinates of the Bordered White Banner to Seoul.

After entering Seoul, Ajige was full of energy and pride. In his opinion, he would soon become the true ruler of Korea. When Haoge returned to Shengjing this time, he would either be imprisoned or killed. Without this strong opponent, it would be easy for Ajige to control Korea. With the troops in his hands and the assistance of Dorgon, it was no problem for him to control Korea.

"Where is Haoge?" After entering the city, Ajige found that Haoge did not come to greet him, but only sent a general. He was so unhappy that he didn't even get off his horse, but asked directly while riding on the horse.

"Your Highness, our prince is feeling a little unwell and is waiting for you in the Regent's Palace." Yabulun bowed to Ajige first and answered respectfully.

"Haoge is usually in good health, isn't he? Why is he suddenly unwell? Could it be that he is homesick and feels unwell because he is eager to go back to Shengjing?" Ajige asked with a smile. As soon as he said this, several of his close associates burst into laughter, as if they had heard the funniest joke in the world. Hearing the harsh laughter, Yabulun's face looked a little unnatural, but he still answered respectfully: "In reply to your Highness, my prince caught a cold the day before yesterday and cannot stand the wind for the time being. He is really unable to come out to greet you. Please forgive me..."

"Forget it, I won't bother with the juniors. You lead the way for me. Since Hauge is sick, as an elder, I will go to visit him. Perhaps after the visit, your prince's illness will naturally recover." Ajige said with a sarcastic smile. Yabulun responded, stood up and led Ajige to Hauge's Regent Palace. They arrived at the place in a short while.

(End of this chapter)