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

Chapter 1133 Dark under the lamp

Did Bumbutai have feelings for Dorgon? If you ask, the answer is definitely yes, otherwise Dorgon would not have tried so hard to help her. In addition, Dorgon's status in the Qing Dynasty was to be honest, his power was greater than that of the emperor. It was not impossible for Dorgon to replace a mere empress dowager and an ignorant little emperor, but Dorgon did not do so. Instead, he supported her wholeheartedly.

But how deep is the affection? It is not much. Although Bumbutai is a woman, her origin and identity also destined her to be a "political creature". In Bumbutai's heart, she and her son are the most important. No matter how important Dorgon is, he can only be ranked behind the two. If the Qing Dynasty still exists, Bumbutai will naturally rely on Dorgon to ensure their status. But now that the Qing Dynasty is gone, Dorgon, who protected her and her son and formed a gang, has become a trouble.

Shengjing was broken, the Eight Banners were destroyed, and the Ming army won a great victory. With the demise of the Qing Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty would definitely wipe out the enemy completely. The Ming Dynasty would never stop until it captured himself, his son, and Dorgon.

They ran away early, and they fled Liaodong under Dorgon's arrangement long before the Ming army besieged Shengjing. Later, they came here and lived in seclusion disguised as Mongolians. In Bumbutai's opinion, as long as they stayed here and hid well, plus her understanding of the grassland, it was unlikely that the Ming Dynasty would find them.

Now that the Qing dynasty was gone, Bumbutai's only thought was how to survive. It was not bad to be a Mongolian like now, hiding here and living well, living in the Mongolian way, the longer they lived, the safer they would be.

After a few years, if the Ming Dynasty still couldn't find their whereabouts, they would be completely safe. Moreover, Bumbutai had changed her and Fulin's names to other Mongolian names. As long as there were no problems internally, Bumbutai had absolute confidence to hide. The world was so big and the grasslands were so vast, how could the Ming Dynasty know that she was here?

But the problem is that Dorgon is an uncertain factor. Dorgon fled Shengjing the moment the city fell, and the Ming army behind him has been chasing Dorgon, vowing to kill him completely. Once Dorgon ran from Liaodong to Khorchin, it would be a big trouble to find him here.

Even if Dorgon got rid of the pursuers, he would not be safe. The Ming army was not easy to deal with, and Dorgon would leave clues even if he hid his tracks. If the Ming army came after him, wouldn't he and his son be implicated?
They were hiding well here, if they were exposed because of Dorgon, the risk was too great. Thinking of this, Bumbutai felt very uneasy, and even secretly prayed to the Eternal Heaven, asking Dorgon not to come looking for her. It would be best if he was caught up and killed by the Ming army on the way. As long as Dorgon died, their whereabouts would become a mystery, and they would be completely safe.

Of course, this was just what Bumbutai thought in her heart, and she could never say it out loud. Although Ebilun and others were loyal to her, this was based on a premise. As Nurhaci's grandson and a nobleman of the Qing Dynasty, Ebilun was Dorgon's man. And not only Ebilun, but also several other people. They were all arranged by Dorgon to escort her and the little emperor here. If she revealed her thoughts about Dorgon, no one could guarantee what these people would do.

"The regent is wise and brave, and he is naturally blessed by heaven. I think he will come to find us soon..." Bumbutai said so, and after thinking for a while, he said to Ebilun: "Send more people out to gather information carefully these days, and report to me immediately if there is any news about the regent. By the way, pay attention to the surrounding areas, be careful, and never let anyone find out that we are doing something wrong."

"I understand, my master, please rest assured, I know what to do." Ebilun nodded in response. He was really worried about Dorgon these days. After the news came from Liaodong, although Ebilun knew the result long ago, he was also sad at the same time. In his opinion, as long as Dorgon did not die and could escape safely, with Dorgon's ability and people like them, there might be a chance to turn things around in the future. What Nurhaci could do back then, Dorgon might be able to do too.

After Ebilun left, Bumbutai sat there quietly, concentrating on something she was thinking about. After a long time, she sighed and shook her head slightly.

A few days later, there was still no news about Dorgon, but other news came in. Ebilun's men encountered a group of Mongols heading south a few dozen miles north of the camp. At first, they thought they were Mongols migrating from other places, but when they met, they found that these Mongols were not ordinary herdsmen, but were of great origin.

"What did you say? Have you found out clearly?" After hearing Ebilun's report, Bumbutai couldn't help but stood up and asked hurriedly.

"After I learned of the report, I went there in person and met the prince."

"What about others?"

"I am here to report to my master first. I dare not make any decision without his permission. The prince is with my people now, so please rest assured." Ebilun replied.

Bumbutai was slightly stunned and then understood what Ebilun meant. After a little thought, she made a decision and asked Ebilun to bring the person back as soon as possible and send people to search the surrounding area to ensure that the news would not leak out.

Ebilun took the order and left. By the evening, he finally brought the person back.

The Mongolians brought back were not many, only about thirty people. These Mongolians looked miserable, most of them were injured, and the leader had a beard and looked haggard. After arriving at the camp, Ebilun settled the other Mongolians, and then took the leader to Bumbutai's yurt. When the Mongolian saw Bumbutai sitting there, he burst into tears, fell to his knees, crawled over to hug Bumbutai's legs, and cried loudly.

A big and strong man was crying like a child. This scene was really unimaginable. Seeing this, Ebilun was a little embarrassed. He bowed to Bumbutai and then quietly retreated.

"That's enough! Howling twice is enough. You are a dignified Prince of Khorchin, and it's not decent for you to cry like this!" After Ebilun left, Qitata cried even harder. Bumbutai waited for a while and saw that he was still crying. She couldn't help but feel annoyed and started to scold him.

Qitat wiped his face, trying to hold back his tears but couldn't help sobbing softly, and looked up at Bumbutai with tears in his eyes: "Queen... Queen Mother... Aunt..."

Seeing him like this, Bumbutai was helpless. He sighed and called Wu Liangfu, who was serving outside, to get some food for Qitate. After the food was delivered, Qitate, who had been hungry for two days, could no longer bear it. He immediately sat on the ground, grabbed the food with both hands and started eating.

He ate heartily, taking a bite of meat and a sip of wine. In a blink of an eye, the whole bowl of meat was gone into his stomach.

After they finished eating, Qitate burped with a sense of unsatisfied feeling. At this time, Bumbutai asked about his situation, asking him where he had been since the defeat of Khorchin, where he had been hiding these days, how he came back to Khorchin, and what his plans were now.

Facing Bumbutai, Qitata did not hide anything and immediately told him his own story.

Before the Liaodong Campaign broke out, while the Ming Dynasty began to use troops against Liaodong, the Mongolian side also started fighting. Agudamu, who controlled Chahar, joined forces with the Ming army to attack the Khorchin grassland. Qitat was shocked when he heard the news and quickly organized troops to resist, while urgently asking for help from Liaodong.

But at that time, Liaodong was already in a difficult situation, so how could it care about Khorchin? Qitat had no choice but to deal with Agudamu alone, but the opponent's offensive was extremely fierce, and the Mongolian cavalry of Khorchin could not contend with their troops, combat effectiveness and equipment.

Qitat managed to survive for more than a month by relying on his familiarity with the terrain of Khorchin, but was eventually caught by Agudamu. In the first battle, Qitat's main force was defeated, and even his headquarters could not be protected. Faced with such a situation, Qitat could only try every possible way to fight his way out, and his luck was not bad. Under the desperate protection of hundreds of elite Mongolian cavalry, Qitat finally escaped.

After Qitat was defeated, Khorchin was no longer able to resist, and the entire Khorchin fell into the hands of the enemy. Not only did the grassland and tribe disappear, but even Qitat's family became prisoners of Agudamu, and Qitat himself fled in a panic, all the way north, and his whereabouts have been unknown since then.

After escaping from Korchin, Qitat first went to the north and then fled to the northeast, intending to hide in the former Muhewei area (Mohe). However, halfway through his journey, he heard the news that the Qing Dynasty was over, and then he learned that the Ming army was pursuing Dorgon to the north.

At this time, Qitat was like a frightened bird, fearing that his whereabouts would be discovered by the Ming Dynasty if he went to Muhewei. He gritted his teeth and turned to the northwest, preparing to run to Mongolia in the northern desert to hide.

Just like that, in the next two months, Qitate traveled thousands of miles, first to the forest and then to Mobei. However, he could not settle down in Mobei because Tenger had taken over most of Mobei and all the tribes in Mobei had expressed their submission to Tenger. Now Mobei is no longer the same as before. The news of the war between Khorchin and Liaodong had already spread to the tribes in Mobei. The leaders of the tribes in Mobei were all thinking about how to please Tenger. If they found any trace of Qitate, they would definitely not show mercy and would definitely present him as a success to Tenger and the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, Qitate did not have an easy time in Mobei.

He had been hiding in Mobei these days, but even so, he accidentally exposed his tracks. In order to survive, Qitate and his remaining troops desperately escaped from the pursuit of a certain Mobei tribe, and fled again in a panic. After he finally made a big circle and got rid of the pursuers, there were not many people around him. Looking around the world, he found that he had nowhere to go. Qitate had no choice but to bite the bullet and quietly return to Korqin.

After all, this is his hometown. He has not been caught by the enemy for so many days. He came back to hide in the dark. With his familiarity with Khorchin, he may have a chance to hide and save his life.

(End of this chapter)