Ming Dynasty: Summoning game players at the beginning

Chapter 372 The Tower of Babel Does Not Believe in Tears
"Who I am is not important. What's important is whether you want wealth and status?" The newcomer's voice was calm yet clear, carrying an arrogant confidence in everything.

"Wealth and honor?" Wu Sangui sneered, drawing his sword three inches from his waist. "The great edifice is about to collapse, and we are destined to become ministers of a fallen nation. Where is there any wealth and honor to be found?"

"The rise and fall of dynasties are all predetermined. Now that the Ming Dynasty is about to perish, General Wu, do you want to die for the Ming Dynasty?"

"San Gui is deeply grateful for the Emperor's kindness and is willing to fight for the Ming Dynasty to the last man!"

"A good bird chooses a good tree to perch on..." Before the envoy could finish the second half of his sentence, a sharp steel knife whistled through the air and choked the envoy's neck.

The messenger glanced along the blade and saw Wu Sangui's hawk-like eyes fixed on him.

"The Beiwei rebels killed my uncle and slaughtered tens of thousands of my comrades. I am irreconcilably opposed to the rebels!" Wu Sangui narrowed his eyes slightly and increased the pressure on the steel knife holding the other man's neck. A trickle of blood dripped down the blade.

Blood was drawn from the neck, yet the envoy remained motionless. Wu Sangui felt a surge of respect for him, lowered his blade, and warned, "In war, envoys are not to be killed. Go back and tell your king that I, Wu Sangui, am 'awaiting' his arrival in Tongzhou..."

"General Wu, you misunderstand." Ignoring the shallow wound on his neck, the envoy abandoned his previous flippant attitude, pulled a secret letter from a hidden pocket, and bowed solemnly to Wu Sangui. "I have come specifically on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Qing..."

Manchu?

Is the Ming Dynasty really doomed? Even the weakened Tartars want to get involved.

Hauge's secret letter was not complicated, but every word was filled with tempting promises. As long as the Qing Dynasty conquered the north, Wu Sangui would be granted a fiefdom.

Humph.

Wu Sangui sneered inwardly. The Tartars were already struggling to protect themselves, yet they still dared to dream of taking over the Central Plains.

Seemingly sensing the hint of contempt in Wu Sangui's eyes, the envoy said rather smugly, "General Wu, do you think our Great Qing cannot enter the pass?"

“Even if you manage to break through Xuanda and seize the capital, how can you stop the rebel army?” Wu Sangui said. “They were able to drive you out with their small force back then, and now their forces are even stronger, so defeating you will be a piece of cake.”

"General Wu, you may not know this, but in the past, heroes from all walks of life regarded our Great Qing as a monstrous flood. Now, the tyrannical emperor has revealed his true colors, persecuting loyal and virtuous officials. Countless people of insight have abandoned darkness and turned to light, donating money and grain to our Great Qing. There are also internal collaborators in Yanjing. If General Guan Ning's troops come to our aid, we can join hands to sweep through Zhili, guard Shanhaiguan in the east, and march south to Henan and Shandong. Great things can be accomplished."

"You rely solely on your words and rhetoric; do you have any concrete evidence?"

Seeing that Wu Sangui's attitude was much more conciliatory than before, the envoy knew that his words had worked remarkably well, and immediately took out a second secret letter, "There is no concrete evidence, but there is a secret letter..."

Rather than a secret letter, it's more like a family letter, a joint letter written by Wu Sangui's other uncles.

Nine years ago, during the Battle of Dalinghe, many of the Zu family generals surrendered to the Manchus and have now fled to the grasslands with the Manchus.

Zu Dashou is now dead, but his other uncles are still alive. This means that if Wu Sangui were to truly surrender, he would have relatives as a backing, rather than being all alone...

A ripple of emotion stirred within Wu Sangui, who was shocked to find himself actually considering surrendering to the Qing dynasty.

The most important problem right now is that military power is entirely in the hands of Governor-General Hong. Wu Sangui only has a certain influence over the Guan-Ning troops, not absolute control.

He couldn't even decide the army's marching route, so how could he surrender to the Manchus?
Moreover, he was a high-ranking official in the Ming Dynasty, and even if the capital fell, he could lead a large army to escape to the south.

However, once he pledges allegiance to another race, he will find it difficult to control his own destiny. The so-called "division of territory and fiefdom" is just a verbal promise, and whether it can be fulfilled remains to be seen.

Wu Sangui's gaze lingered on the words, but his thoughts drifted to the decades to come.

The envoy noticed the hesitation in Wu's changing expression. "General Wu has lived outside the pass for a long time and is probably unaware of the situation inside. Would you be willing to let your student answer some questions for you?"

"Hmm." Wu Sangui nodded, neither confirming nor denying.

The messenger, preoccupied with his own thoughts, used his finger as a brush to draw a rough sketch of the world on the muddy ground.

Almost all the provinces north of the Yellow River in the Ming Dynasty had fallen, and the names of the various rebel regimes had been marked, bringing them much closer to the capital than they had been in the previous days.

The Ming Dynasty court was almost reduced to just a few prefectures.

"So that's how it is..." Wu Sangui was so surprised that his eyebrows twitched.

He had heard some rumors in Shanhaiguan, but he was still shocked to find that the situation was developing far worse and faster than he had imagined.

The once mighty Ming Dynasty, which had dominated its officials, was on the verge of collapse overnight.

His plan to flee south had completely fallen through; the capital region was practically becoming a war zone...

A loud bang exploded overhead, the deep, powerful thunderclap seeming to rub the top of my head.

The torrential rain poured down, the dense raindrops pounding against the tents, the sound so loud it was suffocating.

Wu Sangui peered out through the gap in the tent flap, the mist from the splashing rain blurring his vision, much like the future he couldn't discern.

If he rebelled against the Ming Dynasty, His Majesty would surely kill his father and clansmen, and he would be hated by the rebels who hated the Manchus. In the future, he would only have one path to follow. Hong Chengchou was the first obstacle in his path.

But if he were loyal to the Ming Dynasty to the death, he would not escape unscathed, whether the Tartars entered the pass or the rebels entered.

He wanted to escape to the south but was blocked by other rebels, and he didn't know any of the high-ranking officials of the rebel army, so he couldn't get a word in.

Dead ends, almost everywhere is a dead end.

The words of the envoy, "to divide the land and establish a territory," still echoed in my ears.

Do we really want to cooperate with the Tartars, with whom we have been fighting for more than ten years?
Loyalty, filial piety, family, country?
Countless thoughts swirled and battled in Wu Sangui's mind, just like the sudden rain outside the tent.

Standing at the crossroads of fate, what must be gained and what must be given up?

This is a gamble with lives and families at stake. If you lose, you're doomed. But if you win...

Should we invite the wolf into the house, or should we preserve our reputation and honor?

The heart inside the chest was being torn apart repeatedly by these two completely opposite forces, almost bursting open, each beat as heavy as the sound of a broken drum.

He didn't even realize his own actions, his right hand suddenly clenching the letter his uncle had sent.

The soft letter groaned under the weight of the pressure in his palm, instantly turning into a ball of paper.

The tightly cleaved paper ball's sharp edges seemed to transform into blades, piercing the flesh, and warm blood mixed with paper scraps flowed down.

A faint stinging pain came from his palm, but it was nothing compared to the sorrow brought on by the uncertainty of the future.

Wu Sangui suddenly raised his head, his gaze like a quenched blade, sweeping over Hauge's secret letter and the envoy's face.

The latter appeared calm and composed, seemingly having successfully transitioned from "interviewer" to "job seeker," and his original confidence and aloofness returned.

But Wu Sangui had become a drowning man desperately grasping at straws. With a precipice looming behind him, and the Beiwei Army, determined to wipe out the Zu family's army, closing in step by step, Wu Sangui had only one answer left—

"If I were to lead troops to meet the Qing army, Governor Hong would surely lead his troops to attack me. Do you have any good strategies to help me?"

"That depends on the morale of your troops. If the situation changes, will they be able to fight alongside you?"

"Of Guan Ning's troops, about 60-70% can be under my command..."

"Not enough, not enough." Although the number of people was generally sufficient, the reward for the envoy would naturally be higher if he could persuade more troops for the Qing Dynasty.

"I have offended you in the past, but now I am determined to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. I beg you to teach me..." Wu Sangui said, throwing off his armor and skirt, kneeling on one knee with a sincere and pleading expression.

"My dear nephew, you flatter me. It's just a plan, nothing to worry about. We'll be serving in the same court in the future, and we'll need to look out for each other..."

The messenger gently helped Wu Sangui up, then whispered in his ear, "So it is... like this."

……

It was late at night, and the rain was still falling.

Light shone from the direction of the main military tent, and the faint sounds of people and horses could be heard. Many officers had gathered inside the tent.

Wu Sangui involuntarily glanced at the Qing envoy, who raised an eyebrow at him. The timely information brought by the strategist indeed tricked Governor Hong into convening an emergency military meeting.

A chilling resolve instantly dispelled any remaining hesitation, and Wu Sangui uttered a low shout, "Go!"

Wearing a straw raincoat, he took the lead, followed closely by hundreds of carefully selected servants.

There were always standard-bearer soldiers on duty around the main tent, but they recognized Wu Sangui's soldiers' uniforms. Although they were surprised that General Wu had led a large number of troops here, they could not react quickly.

One of Wu Sangui's personal guards took the lead, leading dozens of elite armored soldiers, and swept into the tent like a whirlwind, instantly silencing the commotion inside.

Upon seeing the person's face clearly, Hong Chengchou's composure vanished completely.

He took a sudden step forward, his fingers trembling violently with rage, pointing directly at Wu Sangui's face. "Wu Sangui! Do you intend to rebel?!"

The air inside the tent was as heavy as lead, making it hard to breathe, with only countless heavy breaths echoing between the cold blades.

All eyes, whether fearful, angry, or bewildered, were fixed on Wu Sangui.

"Rebel?" Wu Sangui met Hong Chengchou's gaze, which was almost spitting fire, but a cold, stiff, almost sinister smile slowly appeared on his lips.

Wu Sangui took a deep breath, the air, carrying the smell of rust and dust, filled his lungs, bringing a powerful and stimulating sensation.

"His Majesty's secret decree is here!"

Wu Sangui unfolded his forged imperial edict, his gaze sharp as lightning, sweeping across the horrified faces before finally fixing on Hong Chengchou's instantly pale face.

The secret edict claimed that Hong Chengchou was colluding with powerful officials and gentry in the capital, intending to launch a coup, seize the emperor, and hand him over to the rebels.

Fortunately, His Majesty was discerning and granted Wu Sangui a secret edict to take command of the army. He also temporarily imprisoned Hong Chengchou and his cronies and sent them to the capital to await His Majesty's judgment.

After hearing the contents of the secret edict, Hong Chengchou took a deep breath. This was not a secret edict at all, but rather Wu Sangui's pretext for a coup to seize power.

“Wu Sangui…” He practically gritted his teeth, squeezing out Wu Sangui’s name through gritted teeth, his voice low and hoarse, carrying a chilling edge, “What a fine ‘cleansing the emperor’s inner circle’! What a… traitorous minister!” He suddenly raised his hand and pointed at the so-called secret edict, his fingers trembling violently with extreme anger, “This forged edict! This colossal lie! You, you dare to do this!”

"Take him down!" Wu Sangui gave him no chance to argue or incite, shouting sharply like a thunderclap!
Since it was a surprise attack with a calculated strategy, Wu Sangui's soldiers quickly subdued Governor Hong's elite guards, and even the various generals were brought under Wu Sangui's control.

"You..." Wu Sangui's icy gaze swept over the crowd like a steel knife scraping bones. "His Majesty has ordered me to temporarily lead the entire army. Are you willing to obey orders?"

Deathly silence, a suffocating silence. Only the crackling of the firewood burning in the brazier and heavy breathing could be heard.

The soldiers were also confused. Rebels were approaching from behind, and the emperor was making a series of foolish decisions from the front. They could not tell whether the imperial edict was true or false.

All that is known is that the emperor did indeed carry out large-scale arrests of powerful officials and tortured military personnel in the capital, and it is said that more than ten million taels of silver have been extorted.

Finally, a general from the Guan Ning Army knelt down on one knee with a thud, "This humble general...this humble general is willing to obey the commander-in-chief's orders! To restore order and eliminate the traitors!"

Like the first domino falling, the second and third knelt down on the cold brick ground in front of Wu Sangui, their heads bowed low, not daring to raise them.

"This humble general is willing to obey the commander's orders!"

"This humble general is willing to obey Commander Wu's orders!"

A cacophony of voices, trembling with fear, rose and fell.

With his arms held tightly by two armored soldiers, Hong Chengchou looked at his kneeling subordinates before him, slowly closed his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty, and a silent, miserable smile, more painful than crying, tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Hong Chengchou wondered to himself, "Is Wu Sangui planning to lead his army to break through Shanhaiguan Pass and then surrender to the rebels?"
Wu Sangui was unaware of Hong Chengchou's thoughts; he only knew that the "seizure of power" strategy taught to him by his strategist had indeed succeeded.

A burning sensation mixed with the smell of blood suddenly rushed to Wu Sangui's head, accompanied by the dizziness of holding power and a huge, exhausting feeling of surviving a catastrophe.

Even if these generals only temporarily submit to him, he will turn them into his own assets in a short period of time.

In this way, they can seize the greatest benefits when they pledge allegiance to a new master.

Wu Sangui immediately ordered the temporary promotion of several generals in the Guan Ning Army and commanded his personal guards to take over the defense of the military camp.

"Pass on my order: break camp and depart early tomorrow morning. I must reach Tongzhou within three days!"

Saying it was Tongzhou was just marking a general direction to Beijing, so as not to arouse the "suspicion" and resentment of the generals.

If he could hold out for a few more days, he could feed this 40,000-strong army to the Manchus.

When the pressure of the Manchu army pressing in arrived, he would then publicly reveal his true intentions, unafraid that this army with nowhere to retreat would not be of use to him, thus making him the true commander-in-chief of the entire army.

Looking towards the distant west, the dawn of victory seemed to be just ahead.

The fierce wind and rain that had swept through the night gradually subsided, but the sounds of fighting during the change of guard outside the tent gradually rose. The sounds of fighting and the neighing of horses were incessant, and it was unknown how many soldiers who "held dissenting opinions" were killed.

The air was thick with the cruelty and bloodshed of a mutiny, but Wu Sangui felt only exhilaration.

The exhilaration of wielding power was like a key, unlocking the taboos in his heart and fueling his ambition.

The words "dividing the land and establishing a territory" echoed in my mind. Why couldn't Wu Sangui be the king of a country?
(End of this chapter)