The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

At this time, there was also heavy snow in Shengjing City.

As the old saying goes, one will not turn back until he hits the south wall, and will not give up until he sees the Yellow River. Without seeing the bronze cannon with their own eyes, without witnessing the power of the bronze cannon, except for Heshen, the Jurchen leaders did not take Li Hu's words seriously, thinking that he was exaggerating and intimidating them.

However, Li Hu was so famous that the Jurchen leaders were still worried. After Heshen's persuasion, a group of people surrounded the former emperor, now the Sixth Prince, and came to the city wall.

Apart from the whistling cold wind, there was no movement outside the city. Not to mention the so-called bronze cannons, there was not even a shadow of the Dashun army.

At this time, the Sixth Prince was holding a monocular telescope and gazing at the Dashun military camp. He was secretly shocked to find that there were many more tents than in the previous two days.

On his left, an old military officer wearing a red hat spoke up: "I told you, how is it possible to build a cannon in just one or two days? Well, you've blown your own trumpet, haven't you?" At this point, he laughed, "What Li the Barber? I think it's just Li blowing his own trumpet! And he's blown his own trumpet!"

Except for Heshen and the Sixth Prince, all the Jurchen leaders on the city wall laughed.

After laughing, the old military officer said, "Although Shengjing City is not as good as Beijing City, it is not made of paper. We not only have red cannons, but also large general cannons that can fire 20-jin cast iron shells. If Li Hu dares to attack the city, he will be beaten to a bloody pulp."

Everyone started laughing again.

He Shen spoke: "Here I come."

The laughter stopped abruptly, and everyone was like a duck with its neck strangled. They made sounds in their throats but could not utter a word.

Through the snow, I could see a large group of oxen pulling two huge bronze cannons.

There was silence and the air seemed to have frozen.

After stopping, the Dashun gunners began to set up the guns, adjust the gun positions, and load gunpowder bags and shells.

At this moment, someone shouted, "Fire!"

The Jurchen gunners woke up from their dream and finally lit the flint and tinder. Unfortunately, many of them couldn't do it because their hands were shaking.

After the Jurchen gunners loaded the shells and lit the torches, the Dashun gunners lit the fuse of one of the bronze cannons.

With a deafening roar, a cannonball trailing a trail of fire came whistling towards the city. Along with a deafening roar, the cannonball slammed heavily into the ground below the city, splashing mud, water and gravel.

Amidst the sounds of "boom", shells trailing flames whizzed and hit the wilderness outside the city. Accompanied by the deafening roar, the entire earth was shaking!
A red-topped official shouted loudly: "Well done!"

Heshen's expression became serious, and all the shells fell on the snow in front of the bronze cannon, including those of the General Cannon.

The Sixth Prince's face also became solemn. The range of the General's Cannon was not as far as the bronze cannon on the opposite side!

Sure enough, the Dashun gunners began to move the bronze cannon forward.

Soon, another bronze cannon fired, and a cannonball hit the city wall hard, sending brick and stone fragments flying. The Jurchen leaders were so frightened that they hid behind the city wall and dared not show their heads.

Although the Sixth Prince was not frightened to the point of falling down, he was still trembling all over.

When Heshen saw this, he helped him walk down the city wall.

Those Jurchen high-ranking officials fled as fast as the wind.

Shengjing City is not big, and the sound of cannons can be heard from the imperial palace.

There was another sound of artillery fire that shook the heavens and the earth, and a military minister spoke up: "Prince Heqin has not replied yet, and the vassal army from Korea should take another two days to arrive. As for His Majesty, the mountains are blocked by heavy snow, and it will take at least ten or twenty days for him to return."

Everyone's heart sank. In just ten or twenty days, it might be possible for Li Hu to capture Shengjing City!
An old military officer with a red hat stood up suddenly and said, "Leave the city and destroy those two bronze cannons!"

Another old military officer with a red hat said: "We can't go. There are at least hundreds of thousands of troops outside the city, and they are all elite. Even if we mobilize all the troops in the city, we can't win! Besides, they have that iron mold. As long as they have copper materials, they can cast a cannon in a day or two. It's just sending ourselves to die in vain."

The old military officer's face turned ugly, then he stamped his feet and sat down.

The hall fell into silence again.

After a while, a military minister spoke up: "How about sending the families of Wu Sangui, Hong Chengchou and other traitors over there first." As he spoke, he looked at Heshen who was sitting next to the Sixth Prince.

Several other military ministers also turned their eyes to Heshen.

He Shen sighed and said, "Li Hu is not so easy to fool. He is a man who will not release the eagle until he sees the rabbit."

Everyone fell silent again.

At this time, the Sixth Prince, who had been silent, spoke up: "How much silver is left in the treasury?"

He Shen was silent for a moment, then replied, "The national treasury currently has 1.35 million taels of silver."

The Sixth Prince was shocked when he heard this: "Where did the silver go?!"

Everyone in the hall was shocked.

He Shen said calmly, "The late emperor passed away suddenly, and the Wannian Jirang was not yet completed. The Ministry of Works worked day and night to complete it before winter, and the budget was overspent by 2.5 million taels. His Majesty was newly crowned, and he rewarded meritorious officials. The bulk of the money went to the inner treasury, but the national treasury also paid 1 million taels. The renovation of the palace, His Majesty's Wannian Jirang, the military pay for the princes, and the money for His Majesty's expedition. These 1.35 million taels of silver were all squeezed out of the gap between our teeth."

The Sixth Prince asked anxiously, "Where is the inner treasury?"

He Shen: "I have taken people to check the inner treasury these two days. There are more than 1.37 million taels of gold and more than 6.4 million taels of silver. The other antiques and curios are worth nearly 6 million taels. In addition, there are a large number of pearls, jade, gems, gold, silver and jade utensils, various high-quality furs, silks, satins, tea, ginseng, etc. in the six treasuries of the Guangchu Division. It is estimated that they can be worth tens of millions of silver."

After a pause, he said, "The gold and antiques were all brought out from the interior of China back then."

The Sixth Prince was stunned for a moment: "This is still more than halfway."

The whole hall was silent.

The Sixth Prince stood up in a somewhat irritable manner, and paced back and forth quickly, saying as he walked: "Money, where can I get so much silver at this time?" As he said that, he suddenly stopped and looked at the Jurchen leaders, "Think of a solution! You can't really use the royal women to pay off the debt, right?!"

Everyone lowered their heads.

The Sixth Prince was furious: "You are all useless! You usually handle lawsuits and extort money, but how can you be so good at this critical moment?"

At this point, he suddenly remembered: "In the past few years of trading with Dashun, many people have become rich. I know that you guys are all local rich people. Let's pool our money together to overcome this difficulty. How about I write you an IOU?" As he said this, he glanced at everyone.

The Jurchen leaders all avoided his gaze.

The Sixth Prince's face darkened.

The other military ministers looked at each other, and one of them spoke up: "Your Highness, we can discuss the money issue slowly. The most urgent task is to get the Han people to stop the bombardment."

The Sixth Prince turned his gaze towards him.

The military minister said: "We can first send someone to bring the families of Wu Sangui, Hong Chengchou and other traitors, as well as the money in the national treasury, to them, explain the matter clearly, and ask them to give us a few more days to raise money."

The Sixth Prince thought for a moment and asked, "Who should I send?"

Another military minister: "He Zhongtang is the Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Minister of Revenue, and he is also friends with Li Hu."

The Sixth Prince turned his gaze to He Shen again: "He Zhongtang?"

The Grand Councilor then said: "He Zhongtang only needs to buy two days for the court. After two days, I will personally bring the remaining silver to pick up He Zhongtang. Thank you for your hard work for the country of our ancestors." As he said this, he bowed.

The other military ministers bowed together and said, "For the sake of our ancestors' country, thank you for your hard work."

Sixth Prince: "He Zhongtang"

He Shen had no other words to say, "As a citizen of the Qing Dynasty, I must sacrifice my life for our ancestors' country and people!"

The Sixth Prince smiled and said, "You are too kind to ask the Prime Minister. I will just ask you to stay with the Han people for two days. You don't have to sacrifice your life for it."

He Shen: “Yes.”

The military minister said: "Everyone, what the Lord said is right. As citizens of the Qing Dynasty, we should sacrifice our lives for our ancestors! Now in front of the prince and the prime minister, let's agree on the amount. Of course, it's all up to your heart, no coercion. How about this, I will take the lead and donate all my property, 170,000 taels!"

Then he turned to Heshen and said, "He Zhongtang, you are the head of the military council, a relative of the emperor, and you are also doing big business."

He Shen smiled and said, "I have two hundred thousand taels of silk."

Another military minister said: "He Zhongtang is concerned about the country and the people, and he is a role model for our generation. Although my family is not well off, the property and farmland awarded by the late emperor can be worth 50,000 or 60,000 silver coins - I will donate them all!"

Another military minister said: "My ancestors have entered the customs many times and left behind many good things. I will donate them all!"

Upon seeing this, other Jurchen leaders pledged to donate.

Heshen was somewhat skeptical when several military ministers suddenly recommended him. But when he saw everyone pledged to donate, his doubts disappeared.

The Sixth Prince was excited and said "good" several times in a row. He then said, "Don't worry, everyone. When His Majesty returns to the capital, I will definitely ask for merit for you!"

Everyone answered in unison: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The military minister smiled and said, "Please send He Zhongtang off for the prince. We will stay here to help the prince draft a list of donations." Then he bowed to He Shen and said, "Thank you for your hard work, He Zhongtang."

Heshen bowed in return, then bowed to the Sixth Prince, then turned and walked out.

Soon, only the Sixth Prince and a few military ministers were left in the hall.

The Sixth Prince was still somewhat excited: "What is a loyal minister? This is a loyal minister! With so many loyal ministers, there is no need to worry about the success of our great cause!" Several military ministers looked at each other and knelt down together.

The Sixth Prince was slightly stunned: "What are you doing?"

The leading military minister took out a memorial from his sleeve and presented it to the emperor.

"What is this?" The Sixth Prince asked the Grand Councilor first, holding the memorial in his hand.

The Grand Councilor said: "This is the evidence that I and others have compiled in the past few days of Heshen's embezzlement of the national treasury, as well as his property in Shengjing City."

Another Grand Councillor: "Heshen's crimes not only involved corruption, but also included usurpation of imperial power, disrespect for the emperor, and abuse of power."

Another military minister said: "He Shen also colluded with the Han people, leaked secrets, and concealed military reports. His crimes are too numerous to list!"

The Sixth Prince looked at them and hurriedly opened the memorial to read it.

As he watched, the Sixth Prince's face darkened.

Several military ministers smiled at each other.

The leading military minister spoke up: "After raiding Heshen's house, we can not only collect enough money for the compensation, but also have a lot of surplus."

The Sixth Prince gasped: "Really?!"

The military minister: "No more, no less. In addition, I and others also suspect that this matter is a play by Heshen and Li Hu."

The Sixth Prince was startled: "Acting?!"

The military minister said: "He has done this more than once or twice. When the late emperor was alive, the court had no choice but to seek peace with the Han people, sign a contract, and pay a large amount of money and grain as compensation. Heshen deliberately helped the Han people to ask for a high price every time so that he could make a profit from it, and each time it was hundreds of thousands of taels!"

The Sixth Prince was shocked: "Really?!"

Another military minister spoke up, "It's absolutely true! This was said by Heshen's servant Liu Quan after he got drunk. Because he did a good job, Heshen rewarded Liu Quan with a house."

The Sixth Prince was so angry that he trembled all over: "Damn it! His heart is damnable. His heart is damnable."

Another military minister said: "Your Highness, if we don't confiscate Heshen's house, we won't be able to collect so much money anyway. Besides, if we really force everyone to donate all their wealth, won't we offend everyone?"

The Sixth Prince was confused: "What about the voluntary donation you just mentioned?"

The leading military minister smiled bitterly and said, "What I and others said just now was just to stabilize He Shen. How can we really come up with so much silver!"

Sixth Prince: "What about the others?"

Several military ministers looked at each other, and the leading military minister replied: "This, we are not sure."

The Sixth Prince stood there in silence.

The leading military minister said: "Now, only Heshen can save Shengjing City."

The Sixth Prince thought for a moment and said, "I'm afraid this is not a good idea."

The leading military minister said: "Your Highness, you know the temper of His Majesty! If you empty the inner treasury without asking for permission, how will you explain it to His Majesty when he returns to the capital? You are the regent!"

Hearing this, the Sixth Prince was shocked again.

The leading military minister said: "Don't worry, Your Majesty. The Emperor has hundreds of thousands of troops around him. He Lin can't cause any trouble."

The Sixth Prince paced back and forth rapidly again, then suddenly stopped and asked, "Do you think Li Hu will keep his promise?"

The leading military minister smiled and said, "In two days, the vassal army of North Korea will arrive. They will definitely not be able to defeat Li Hu, but they can put pressure on Li Hu. Li Hu is not a fool. He will definitely guess that His Majesty will return to Shengjing City for assistance. He will take his property and return to the prairie."

After a pause, he said, "With so much valuables, Li Hu can't walk fast. As long as His Majesty can come back in time..."

The Sixth Prince’s eyes lit up!
The snow fell even harder in the capital, and everything was covered in white.

Under the eaves outside the Baohe Hall, the chief and deputy officials of the six ministries and nine government offices had all arrived. They stood there in silence with solemn expressions, looking towards the door leading to the bedroom inside the hall.

Inside the bedroom, the Supreme Emperor lay straight on the bed with his eyes closed. His face was sallow and there were gurgling sounds in his throat.

Li Yuanzheng pulled out a three-inch long silver needle and burned it over the candle flame. Then he wiped the silver needle with a cotton ball dipped in white medicine and inserted it into the acupuncture point of the Supreme Emperor. He slowly stroked it, and the silver needle was completely inserted. Then another silver needle was inserted into the Supreme Emperor.

The eunuch in charge of the seal held the little emperor's hand and stood by the bed, crying.

The chief minister of the cabinet, Zhen Yingjia, and the two grand secretaries Shi and Meng all stood aside with red eyes.

The chief minister of the cabinet sighed inwardly, the wind blew out the candle, which was a fatal blow to the seriously ill emperor.

Suddenly, the sound from the Supreme Emperor's throat stopped.

Li Yuanzheng began to pull out the silver needles. As the last silver needle was pulled out, the Supreme Emperor slowly opened his eyes.

The eunuch in charge of the seal cried out: "The Supreme Emperor!"

The Supreme Emperor looked towards Li Yuanzheng.

Li Yuanzheng understood and said softly: "If the Supreme Emperor has any order, please tell us as soon as possible." After that, he walked out with the medical bag.

Everyone understood it except the little emperor who knew nothing, and the hope that had just risen dimmed again.

The Supreme Emperor smiled and said, "Life and death are determined by fate, wealth and honor are determined by God." Then he turned his gaze to the little emperor and stretched out a skinny hand.

The eunuch in charge of the seal quickly carried the little emperor over.

The Supreme Emperor took the little emperor's hand and looked at him, as if he wanted to remember his appearance in his mind.

After a while, the Supreme Emperor turned his gaze to the eunuch in charge of the seal: "Have the officials from the six ministries and nine officials arrived?"

The eunuch in charge of the seal wiped away his tears and said, "Reporting to the Supreme Emperor, the chief and deputy officials of the six ministries and nine departments are here."

The Supreme Emperor: “Let them all in.” After saying that, he slowly closed his eyes, as if he was gathering his last bit of energy.

The eunuch in charge of the seal said, “Yes.” He answered and walked out quickly.

After a while, the eunuch in charge of the seal came in with Jia Yucun, Jia Lian and others.

The Supreme Emperor slowly opened his eyes again, and then looked at the Cabinet Prime Minister, Zhen Yingjia, and the two Grand Secretaries Shi and Meng. A faint light flashed in his eyes, and although his breath was weak, his voice was clear: "Before I passed away, I entrusted the Dashun Kingdom and the underage emperor to you. You, as well as the King of Zhenbei Li Hu, the Duke of Zhenguo Niu Ben, and the Marquis of Zhongjing Shi Ding,
Jia She is one of them. As my trusted minister, he must be careful and conscientious, and not let the Dashun Kingdom end."

The chief minister of the cabinet, Zhen Yingjia, and the two grand secretaries Shi and Meng knelt down.

The Supreme Emperor: "First Minister, from now on, I entrust the emperorship and the affairs after my death to you. You are the Duke of Zhou of Dashun."

The Prime Minister of the Supreme Emperor cried out, "I will do my best to assist the Emperor and protect the country of Dashun. If you violate this oath, you will be punished by both heaven and earth!"

The Supreme Emperor smiled weakly and said, "I believe in the Prime Minister." He then said to Zhen Yingjia, "From now on, you are the Second Prime Minister of the Cabinet. For the sake of your mother, you must assist the Emperor well."

Zhen Yingjia choked up and replied, "Yes."

The Supreme Emperor gave a few more instructions to the two Grand Secretaries Shi and Meng, and then said to the eunuch in charge of the seal: "Take it out from under the pillow."

The eunuch in charge of the seal reached under the Supreme Emperor's pillow, pulled out a yellow silk bundle, and when he opened it, he revealed a stack of imperial edicts.

The Supreme Emperor: "This contains my decree to reward several ministers who were entrusted with the care of the young emperor."

As they were talking, the eunuch on duty hurried in with a military report with chicken feathers stuck on it: "Victory news from the Prince of Zhenbei!"

The Supreme Emperor's eyes lit up: "What victory did Li Hu win? Read it to me."

The eunuch on duty tore open the seal, read it, and then began to read.

Everyone was shocked. They didn't expect Li Hu to break into Liaodong so quickly.

The Supreme Emperor really laughed this time: "Tell Li Hu that I am grateful to him for digging the Tartar imperial tomb for me." After saying this, he tilted his head.

The Prime Minister of the Cabinet: "The Supreme Emperor! The Supreme Emperor!"

The sound of Jingyang bells was heard amid the howling north wind!

Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai stood up.

The sound of the Jingyang Bell came one after another with desolate voice!

The Supreme Emperor has passed away!

Lin Daiyu's eyes flashed, she walked to the desk, picked up a pen and started writing.

Xue Baochai tightly grasped the handkerchief with both hands, her knuckles turning white. It was another year of national mourning, and it would never end. (End of this chapter)