My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Of course, Dorgon had no idea what Dayuer was thinking at that moment.

After pondering for a moment, he said:

"In any case, the situation is now settled. According to my opinion, we should keep the news of His Majesty's death a secret for now and start consolidating power. Otherwise, if the news of His Majesty's death gets out, I'm afraid the situation will become unstable."

However, this was met with opposition from Da Yu'er.

Suddenly, Da Yu'er looked at Dorgon with a determined gaze and said:

"No, this is absolutely unacceptable!"

Just kidding. Now that all the princes, members of the imperial family, and ministers have finally acknowledged Fulin's identity, Dayuer is eager to immediately announce to everyone the news of Huang Taiji's death and Fulin's succession, thus definitively confirming the matter.

At this time, if the death is kept secret and outsiders are not allowed to know that Fulin has succeeded to the throne, how could Dayuer possibly agree to it?
However, Dorgon seemed not to understand what Dayuer meant when he heard this.

Seeing Dorgon's reaction, Dayuer quickly composed herself and then explained in a serious tone:
"Think about it, everyone knew beforehand that His Majesty was very ill and would not live much longer, so the soldiers must have been in a state of panic long ago."

"Announcing the new emperor's accession at this time would better appease people's hearts, and secondly, it would prevent Hauge and others from having any ulterior motives."

"As long as we announce the news of Fulin's succession to the throne to the world, it will be equivalent to completely extinguishing Hauge's hopes. From now on, he can only obediently be a prince and dare not have any more improper thoughts."

Upon hearing this, Dorgon thought for a moment before nodding.

He felt that Da Yu'er's consideration was not wrong. Spreading the news of Fulin's succession to the throne as soon as possible could indeed stabilize people's hearts and make the situation of the Qing Dynasty more stable.

Thinking this through, Dorgon stopped insisting and said:
"If that's the case, then I'll listen to you."

"However, it seems we should also inform the Ming Dynasty about this matter."

what?
Da Yu'er was a little confused when she heard this, her face full of doubt, because she didn't understand why this matter needed to be reported to the Ming Dynasty.

It should be noted that relations between the two countries are not good at the moment, and can even be described as hostile. If we inform the Ming Dynasty at this time, aren't we afraid that the Ming Dynasty will take the opportunity to cause trouble?

Seeing Da Yu'er's somewhat puzzled expression, Dorgon patiently explained:

"Because of the defeat in the Battle of Songjin, we were forced to become a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty. According to the rules of the Ming Dynasty, after the death of the emperor of a vassal state, it is necessary to report to the Ming Dynasty and for the Ming Dynasty to appoint the next emperor."

“If we don’t do this, they might use it as an excuse to attack us.”

"In addition, the obituary sent to the Ming Dynasty could not say that Fulin inherited the throne, but only that he inherited the throne of the king. After all, according to the rules of the Ming Dynasty, vassal states could not have emperors."

"Of course, this is just a formality, just to keep the Ming Dynasty from causing trouble, and to ensure that Fulin remains the emperor of our Great Qing!"

So that’s it.
It has to be said that this was the first time Da Yu'er had heard of these things, and then a look of sudden realization appeared on her face.

And then I agreed.

"Alright then, I'll leave this matter to you. In short, we must announce the news of Fulin's ascension to the throne to the world as soon as possible."

Dorgon nodded as well.

The next second, Dorgon seemed to realize something, then smiled and pulled Dayuer into his arms, pecked her on the cheek, and said:
"Now that the great undertaking is accomplished, how will you thank me?"

Upon hearing this, Da Yu'er smiled charmingly, her eyes revealing a captivating allure.

"So how do you want me to thank you?"

Dorgon didn't speak, but his gaze then turned to the bed not far away.

In an instant, Dayuer understood Dorgon's meaning.

And so, a great battle ensued.
Thus, the already deceased Huang Taiji was cuckolded once again.
Although the Jurchens did not intend to conceal the news of Huang Taiji's death, they even planned to inform the Ming Dynasty on their own initiative.

However, it is clear that, given the current speed of information transmission, it will take at least a month for this news to reach the capital.

As for the news reaching Zhu Cilang, it will probably take at least two months.

After all, Zhu Cilang is still deep in the Qinling Mountains!

Moreover, Zhu Cilang probably didn't expect Huang Taiji to die so quickly. After all, according to the original history, Huang Taiji died in 1643, while it was 1642, which is a year earlier than the original history.

However, this matter is not so important to Zhu Cilang at the moment, because his primary goal is to defeat the peasant army led by Li Zicheng and completely eliminate the peasant army scourge!

In Zhu Cilang's view, only by resolving this major concern could he have the energy to deal with other matters.

Meanwhile, the scene shifts to the depths of the Qinling Mountains.

After several days of arduous travel, the army, like a giant black dragon, slowly arrived at Liuba, deep in the Qinling Mountains.

Liuba is located in southwestern Shaanxi Province, in the northern part of Hanzhong City, in the heart of the southern foothills of the Qinling Mountains.

Before the Ming Dynasty, Liuba was a small county town. After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, it inherited the Yuan system, but abolished the Liuba county-level administrative division of the Yuan Dynasty. For most of the time, this place was under the jurisdiction of Feng County, which in turn belonged to Hanzhong Prefecture.

During this period, Liuba was an important post station and node on the Lianyungang plank road that traverses the Qinling Mountains, but not an independent administrative center.

It is an important passage connecting the north and south, and an essential route for merchants and travelers.

During the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, especially after the Wanli era, social unrest intensified, and southern Shaanxi became a gathering place for displaced people and a region where peasant uprisings were active.

Coupled with the exploitation and oppression by the government, many people were forced to leave their homes and become refugees.

These displaced people wandered from place to place, homeless and desperate for survival. They rose up in rebellion, launching peasant uprisings.

In order to strengthen control over the plank roads and the southern foothills of the Qinling Mountains and to suppress uprisings, the Ming Dynasty established Liuba Hall, which had military and administrative functions, in this area.

In short, although this place is small, it is a vital passage connecting the north and south. Controlling this place is equivalent to controlling the transportation and economic lifeline of the southern Qinling Mountains.

Moreover, this place is only about 70 kilometers away from Hanzhong. According to the current average marching speed of the army, it will take about three days to reach Hanzhong.

However, the journey had been arduous, so Zhu Cilang ordered the army to rest for two days, allowing the soldiers time to recover their strength and adjust their condition.
We'll wait two days and then make it to Hanzhong in one go!
That night, darkness slowly enveloped Liuba, a small county town nestled deep in the Qinling Mountains, like a giant black silk ribbon.

Zhu Cilang did not stay in the camp tonight, but stayed at the Qianhu Office in Liuba County.

After a simple dinner, Zhu Cilang sat down at the table and began to carefully read through the stack of letters piled on it.

Some of these letters were sent by Liu Jiayin, the General of Sichuan, while others were sent by the Imperial Guards who had been dispatched to Hanzhong.

The events described in these letters were largely the same, all revolving around the recent troop movements in Sichuan and the various situations of Li Zicheng's army.

In his letter, Liu Jiayin stated that he had organized 30,000 elite troops to proactively enter the mountains and ambush Li Zicheng's army. These troops, familiar with the terrain, significantly slowed down Li Zicheng's march.

Li Zicheng's army now seems to be stuck in an invisible quagmire, unable to travel even five miles a day, and the army is still trapped in the perilous deep mountains.

Zhu Cilang looked at the contents of the letter and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

His original plan was to trap Li Zicheng in the Qinling Mountains, and then let Li Zicheng's army into Hanzhong after the main army had arrived, and then fight the final battle with Li Zicheng there!
In retrospect, Liu Jiayin has done quite well and has lived up to his own expectations.

However, besides this matter, there was another thing that Zhu Cilang was quite concerned about.

That was the problem of how the various armies got along, which he had been worried about all along. After all, these armies came from all over the country, and there were even many ethnic minorities among them, so it was really impossible for them to get along harmoniously.

Both Liu Jiayin's letter and the secret report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard emphasized this matter!

Fortunately, these people knew what was good for them, so although they weren't very harmonious with each other, it didn't cause too much of a problem.

Thanks to Liu Jiayin's timely intervention, no one was seriously injured, which was a stroke of luck amidst the misfortune.

However, Zhu Cilang knew in his heart that these were all temporary, and that the matter would be resolved once he arrived in Hanzhong.

Suddenly, at that moment, a soft footstep broke the silence in the room.

Immediately afterwards, Ma Bao's voice rang out from outside:
"Your Highness, the Prince of Tang requests an audience."

Zhu Cilang was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

However, he quickly regained his composure and hurriedly said:
"Announce him to come in."

Before long, the Tang Emperor entered.

Before the Tang Emperor could perform his salutation, Zhu Cilang waved his hand to indicate that he did not need to, and then spoke:

"Uncle Tang, no need for formalities, sit down and talk."

Upon hearing this, the Tang Emperor bowed respectfully to Zhu Cilang.
"Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

After the Tang Emperor sat down, Zhu Cilang leaned forward slightly, looked at the Emperor, and asked:

"Uncle Tang, is there something you need from me so late at night?"

The Tang emperor hesitated for a moment upon hearing this, seemingly considering how to respond, before finally speaking:

"Your Highness, I apologize for disturbing you today, but I wish to speak with you about the Zhu Family Army."

Zhu Jiajun?
Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang frowned slightly, a thoughtful look in his eyes, but he still asked:

"What's wrong with Zhu's army? Tell me!"

The Tang Emperor sighed softly before continuing:
"Your Highness, you may not know this, but although since we left the capital, my Zhu family army has gotten along fairly well with other armies, and on the surface, we seem to be on good terms."

"But I sense that most of them still look down on Zhu's army."

"They felt that Zhu's army was just there to make up the numbers and steal credit, and that they didn't have any real skills."

Zhu Cilang found these words amusing.

He had actually heard about this before.

Back when the Zhu Family Army was first established, no one was optimistic about it.

In their eyes, most of these so-called Zhu Family Army soldiers were pampered second-generation rich kids who were used to a life of luxury and couldn't endure the hardships of the battlefield.

Even if they go to the battlefield, they will only be afraid of death and scramble for credit and profit. What kind of war can they fight?

It's good enough if they don't desert their posts!

However, Zhu Cilang couldn't say anything at the time, since the previous Zhu family descendants had been so disappointing, it was normal for them to have such concerns.

Only after Zhu's army goes to the battlefield can these people's views be completely changed!
Moreover, in the past two months, Zhu's army has not disappointed, and their treatment is almost exactly the same as that of ordinary soldiers.

They ate the same food as the ordinary soldiers.

They lived wherever the ordinary soldiers lived.

Ordinary soldiers travel on foot, and so did they.

Their feet were blistered and their bodies were covered in dust and mud, but none of them complained.

Even so, it seems that nothing could stop the soldiers from gossiping about it in private.

They seem to stubbornly believe that the so-called Zhu Family Army is utterly useless and would only be a burden on the battlefield.

After regaining his senses, Zhu Cilang looked at the Prince of Tang and said:
"Uncle Tang, I already knew about these things you mentioned, but I don't think it's a big deal. After all, the Zhu family army has never been on the battlefield since its establishment, so it's normal for it to be looked down upon by other soldiers."

"However, since you are here today, I will issue an order that the soldiers are forbidden from discussing this matter again."

"Those who violate this rule will be severely punished!"

But as soon as he said this, the Tang King quickly shook his head, his face showing anxiety, and said:
"Your Highness, you have misunderstood. That's not what I meant!"

"Your Majesty, I know it's understandable that the soldiers look down on my Zhu Family Army. After all, as His Highness the Crown Prince said, the Zhu Family Army has never fought a battle since its establishment, so it's normal for them to be underestimated!"

"What I want to say is that after entering Hanzhong, the first battle will be fought by our Zhu family army! Let those people see that our Zhu family is not a coward, and that our Zhu family will also shed blood for the Ming Dynasty, completely changing their view of the Zhu family army."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang glanced at the Tang King with some surprise.

According to his original plan, Zhu's army would absolutely not be charging into battle this time; they would only follow behind to familiarize themselves with the warfare.

It wasn't that Zhu Cilang was reluctant to send the Zhu family army to the battlefield, but rather that the Zhu family army had never actually been on the battlefield before and had never experienced the baptism of blood and fire.

He worried that if Zhu Jiajun and Li Zicheng's forces clashed head-on from the start, Zhu Jiajun's soldiers might collapse due to tension and fear.

If the enemy launches a single attack, Zhu's army might be routed.

If that were to happen, we'd lose face big time! (End of Chapter)