Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 82 This deal requires extra money
"Gao Jie."

Duoduo looked at the flag with the word "Gao" fluttering in the wind on the top of Xuzhou City, as if it was mocking him, and he gritted his teeth in hatred.

"How dare he propose such an offer to this king? Who gave him the courage?"

Duoduo was already very unhappy because he encountered obstacles everywhere after going south, but after all, it was a plan of the civil and military officials of the Ming court, so it was understandable that he encountered some obstacles.

But now, a small Ming army general, not even his defeated general, dared to negotiate with him. Although Duoduo was trying hard to suppress his anger, his face still flushed red with anger.

In fact, surrender has always been the main strategy of the Qing army against the Ming army inside the Great Wall, and Bolo is also very keen on it. But now the conditions proposed by Gao Jie are really difficult for the commanders of the southern army to accept.

This was the first time they had seen such a tough Ming Dynasty surrendered general.

Gao Jie's explanation for this was quite simple. Although the Ming Emperor had pushed him to the front lines, he treated him well in other aspects, providing him with money and food. If he had to defend the city, he could do so until the food ran out. If the Qing army hadn't been so strong, the Ming would have been defeated anyway. That's why he wouldn't have surrendered!

Duoduo and others actually didn't think there was anything wrong with this explanation.

First of all, hundreds of thousands of Ming troops inside the Great Wall surrendered. After Li Zicheng fled south, the Ming troops in Shaanxi who were originally on the sidelines also surrendered. This was not surprising at all.

Secondly, Gao Jie does have the capital to bargain now, but it is only temporary. If he waits until the Ming emperor is captured, no matter how strong Xuzhou City is, it will be an isolated city and a dead city.

Of course, the most important thing is that the Ming army was indeed too weak and lacked the strength to fight in the field.

Among the surrendered troops brought by Duoduo from Henan, there were also some who recognized Gao Jie. This man acted in a rather unscrupulous manner. He was good at taking advantage of opportunities, greedy for money and arrogant. He was indeed someone who could do such a thing.
In other words, given Gao Jie's style of doing things, and the fact that he has so much capital in his hands, if he surrenders directly without negotiating terms, it would be even more suspicious.

"Emperor Ming was well prepared and built Xuzhou City into this state. If Gao Jie doesn't surrender, we probably won't be able to break through it unless we besiege it for a year or two." Upon seeing this, Bolo spoke again.

"It's useless to encircle Xuzhou. If we want to encircle it, we have to encircle Fengyang, and Emperor Ming must be in the city. Otherwise, it will be futile." Tulai took a deep breath and suddenly said:

"Beile is right. Emperor Ming was well prepared for this. He attacked Xu Dingguo in the north and established strong defenses in Guide in order to slow down our advance southward.

It's already April, and the temperature is already very high. Diseases can easily spread, and our soldiers can't withstand such weather. If we can't capture Nanjing by June or July, we will have to withdraw."

"But if we can't take Xuzhou, we must at least leave a few thousand soldiers to contain it. The same goes for Huai'an. By then, we may not be able to surround Fengyang." Bolo questioned.

"So, the only way left is to persuade for surrender?" Duoduo still frowned. He had been staring at Xuzhou City, but after looking for so long, he still couldn't think of any way to break the deadlock.

"But Gao Jie enjoys the Ming Emperor's deep trust and has such a strong city to rely on. The Ming Emperor has been planning this for so long and has made sufficient preparations. Does he really intend to surrender, or is he deliberately deceiving us?"

"Your Highness, the Ming army inside the Great Wall is different from the one outside. Since we entered the Great Wall, except for the two battles at Taiyuan and Tongguan, when we faced strong cities and needed red cannons, everywhere else, we were able to defeat them in one strike, and the Ming army surrendered in droves."

Seeing Duoduo's suspicion of Gao Jie's motives, Boluo quickly explained:

"Moreover, Gao Jie was originally a former subordinate of the rebel Li Zicheng. He had previously followed Sun Chuanting, but was defeated by Li Zicheng and fled from Shaanxi, passing through Shanxi and Shandong, and finally fled to Southern Zhili.

He has now been placed in Xuzhou by the Ming Emperor, bearing the brunt of the consequences. He is extremely dissatisfied, and seeing that we have defeated Li Zicheng, it is not surprising that this defeated general, knowing that he is no match for our great Qing warriors, wants to surrender."

"The bandits are absolutely untrustworthy. Have you forgotten Ma Shiyao?" Duoduo still shook his head. He was actually a little tempted, but for this kind of thing, he still needed someone to step forward and take the responsibility.

"It is precisely because of this that Gao Jie was able to persuade the enemy to surrender. Why should Gao Jie deliver the secret letter that even Ma Shiyao couldn't?" Seeing that Tulai remained silent, Bolo had no choice but to take the lead himself.

"The Ming army in Jiangbei is scattered across the country and cannot be assembled quickly. Moreover, even if they were to assemble, what would they do? Do they dare to engage in a field battle with our Qing warriors?"

"You're right. Gao Jie has no reason to pretend to surrender. With his troops, pretending to surrender would only mean seeking his own death." Tulai narrowed his eyes and spoke.

After hearing this, Duoduo looked up at the south side of the earthen wall outside Xuzhou City. The Ming cavalry who were fighting with their own scouts still looked a little hesitant.

Seeing this, Boro thought for a moment, then said:
"No matter what, as long as Gao Jie surrenders, it will be a huge benefit to us. Even if he is feigning surrender and trying to steal some gold and silver, won't it all return to us in the end?"

At this point, Duoduo finally relented: "Besides the gold and silver, what other conditions does Gao Jie have?"

"He wants us to help him kill Huang Degong, saying it's revenge. I asked Li Jiyu, and it's true that Gao Jie and Huang Degong have a grudge. It's been a long-standing feud, and everyone knows it.

However, he also said that he would not accompany us to besiege Fengyang, but he could go to Yangzhou. After taking Huai'an, he would immediately go south to Yangzhou. Then he wanted to be a governor in the southern provinces.

After saying this, Bo Luo hesitated for a moment, then added, "But the amount of gold and silver Gao Jie wants is not small. I'm afraid we can't gather it all at once."

"Oh, how much does he want?" Duoduo laughed out loud with the corners of his mouth twitching after hearing this. He just thought Gao Jie was a very interesting person.

"He said he wanted three thousand taels of gold, fifty thousand taels of silver, and rewards for his troops. He has thirty thousand soldiers under his command, over fifteen thousand of them in armor, and thirteen thousand mules and horses. In addition, there are more than a hundred thousand young men in the entire Xuzhou. He can sell them all, but he has to pay more."

"More money? This Gao Jie, hahaha." Duoduo couldn't help laughing out loud, "He really dares to sell anything. How much silver does he plan to sell those hundreds of thousands of young men to me?"

"This guy is indeed asking for an exorbitant price, but it should be just a sky-high price. In the end, it will be enough for him to seize Huai'an or Yangzhou." Bolo did not directly answer the specific amount, but instead gave a more feasible countermeasure.

"He must have thought about it a long time ago. Huai'an and Yangzhou are both the richest places in Jiangbei. The salt merchants in the two places alone are enough for him to rob. This guy is really too greedy." Tu Lai also said.

Duoduo didn't care at all: "No matter how greedy he is, he can't have so much gold and silver. But I can let him rob Huai'an and Yangzhou. There are probably more than a million gold and silver there."

When Boluo heard Duoduo's statement, he knew that he also had his eyes on the gold and silver there. A happy expression immediately appeared on his face and he said:

"Then send Li Jiyu into the city to have a proper talk with Gao Jie. Since he dares to sell it, we can use a few cities from the Ming Kingdom to buy it from him. After all, it will be ours in the end, so what if he touches it a little?"

Duoduo naturally had no objection to this. He nodded directly after listening, then looked around on the mountainside for a while. Finally, he looked at the magnificent and domineering Xuzhou City, sighed deeply, and went down the mountain in disappointment.

However, after he came down the mountain, he only ordered Tulai to arrange the army to set up camp and prepare for a night attack, and then he did not take any further action. It seemed that he had no intention of attacking the city, let alone a long-term siege.

But soon, Duoduo summoned a group of Eight Banners officers of the Qing army and began to order them to send out scouts to continue exploring the countryside where people live in various parts of Huaibei today, and at the same time find out the Ming army's garrisons in various places.

He did not completely believe Gao Jie's statement, especially since the other party was a bandit and his surrender was impossible to predict. However, Duoduo was very confident in his own military strength and did not think that Gao Jie would dare to play tricks on him.

In other words, he had already begun to prepare for another march south. Now that Xuzhou City had been built into this state, Fengyang must be even stronger, and the same was probably true for Yangzhou, the gateway to Nanjing. He had no time to waste.

In fact, Duoduo sighed just now, not for Xuzhou City, nor for Gao Jie. Neither of them was worthy or worthy.

He was thinking of the Ming emperor who was so vicious at such a young age. This trip south to attack the Ming was bound to cause endless trouble.

However, after doing these things, Duoduo immediately returned to his complacent state. No matter how strong the city was, how wide the moat was, or how many artillery pieces there were, once he captured hundreds of thousands of Nikans, he didn't believe that he would not be able to use up all the guns and artillery of the Ming garrison and fill up those ditches.

With this thought in mind, Duoduo left the camp again and climbed up Yunlong Mountain. He wanted to take a good look at how to attack Xuzhou City as quickly as possible, so as to prepare for the subsequent attack on Fengyang City and the capture of Emperor Ming alive.

At the same time, Li Jiyu, who went into the city to persuade Gao Jie to surrender and actually bargain with him, quickly brought back the news.

"Gao Jie agreed to take less gold and silver, but he had to see the actual 3,000 taels of gold and 30,000 taels of silver. He said that the generals in his army had to be appeased immediately, and the soldiers could be rewarded later.

Gao Jie said he was willing to fight for the Qing Dynasty in the south, especially in Zhejiang, where there are tens of thousands of troops stationed there and many members of the Ming royal family, as long as His Majesty can give him the position of Governor."

Under the gaze of Duoduo, Bolo, Tulai and others, Li Jiyu carefully wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and then continued:
"I've observed carefully, and Gao Jie doesn't seem to be feigning surrender. He knows that Li Zicheng has robbed a large amount of silver from the capital, and most of this silver is now in the hands of our dynasty."

"His offer isn't too high, and what he said is quite good. I have that much money in my army right now." Duoduo nodded, but then added, "As for the position of Governor, it's a matter of great importance and requires the Emperor's approval."

"I'm afraid this matter needs further consideration." Tulai shook his head and said doubtfully:

"Gao Jie wasn't a loyal man to begin with. He suddenly surrendered this time. He originally wanted an exorbitant price, but now he's suddenly changed his mind and agreed to it without even bargaining. This is really strange."

However, Duoduo did not think so. He had his own thoughts and sneered:

"If he clearly wants to surrender but is still deliberately bargaining, then that's fake. I've seen through Gao Jie. He's a bit clever, but he also knows how to judge the situation. He was just testing me before, but once he saw my sincerity, he'll naturally know how to proceed!"

"Your Majesty is very perceptive, and what you said is absolutely correct!"

When Li Jiyu heard this, he immediately complimented:
"Gao Jie is indeed quite clever and good at adapting to changing circumstances. He was originally a general under Li Zicheng. When he saw the situation was not good, he defected to the Ming Dynasty and even slept with his sister-in-law. He was also extremely greedy and often massacred and plundered towns and villages. He was not well-received in the Ming court."

"Is this son of a bitch still stubborn and vindictive? He's always vindictive."

Duoduo felt even more proud when he heard Li Jiyu's agreement. He raised his head proudly in front of Bolo and Tulai and continued, "He has a grudge against Huang Degong and knows that Huai'an and Yangzhou are wealthy. So, on the surface, he's talking about revenge and doesn't want to disappoint his old master, so he doesn't want to attack Fengyang. In reality, he knows that the elite troops in the south are all in Fengyang City. He's worried that I will use him as cannon fodder, and he wants to embezzle the wealth of Huai'an and Yangzhou."

After a thorough analysis, Duoduo became even more convinced of his previous analysis and judgment!
"So, Gao Jie's previous attitude was actually a cover-up, so that we wouldn't underestimate him?" Bolo also looked as if he had suddenly realized something, which made Duoduo even more proud.

Tulai ignored the two men's mutual flattery and looked at Li Jiyu and asked, "What other conditions does he have?"

When Li Jiyu heard this, the flattering smile on his face immediately appeared again, and he nodded and said:
"He doesn't trust me. He wants His Majesty to send someone capable to negotiate with him. Only after the negotiations are concluded will he leave the city and accept surrender."

"Since you are willing to leave the city and surrender, it should be true." Duoduo smiled, but then changed the subject and said:

"However, I still have to negotiate with him. If I agree to it so easily, I'm afraid Gao Jie's rebellious behavior will be uncontrollable."

So, Li Jiyu once again went into the city alone and spent another afternoon discussing the terms and price of surrender with Gao Jie. Of course, this time, he was much more relaxed.

At this time, Duoduo also conspired with Bolo, Tulai and others to further persuade them to surrender. In fact, they had already known each other for a long time that Li Jiyu was not strong enough and his rank was too low, so the three of them looked down on him and avoided him.

Gao Jie’s value to the Qing army is not just the city of Xuzhou, but also an indispensable demonstration of several important military towns near Xuzhou.

All these were related to the safety of the Qing army's rear, and were the key to Duoduo's ability to concentrate his troops and march south with all his strength to besiege Fengyang.

Not to mention Dangshan, Peixian, and Suzhou, cities where Gao Jie's generals were stationed, Bozhou, Suqian, and even Yangzhou were also crucial. Whether Gao Jie could persuade Huang Degong to surrender based on his previous relationships or could contain Huang Degong, it would be something Duoduo would be more than happy to have.

Otherwise, Duoduo didn't know how many soldiers he would have to send to defend small places like Bozhou, Suzhou, and Dangshan. Would they need one or two thousand armored soldiers? Would Xuzhou and Huai'an need three to five thousand armored soldiers?

Should Yangzhou and Luzhou be isolated? How should the navy of the Huai River be dealt with? Also, more troops should be sent out to collect food and grass, recruit civilians, and more soldiers and horses are needed.

As a result, the number of armored soldiers that Duoduo could finally concentrate on the Fengyang front was probably less than 40,000. Even if the surrendered soldiers were included, it would not exceed 80,000.

For the party besieging a city, it is far from enough if they do not have a two or three times advantage in military strength!
In other words, although Duoduo, Bolo, and Tulai each had their own concerns, they all tended to surrender. In fact, this was because they all felt very powerless in the face of the defensive formation set up by Zhu Cilang.

In history, Duoduo was able to launch a surprise attack on Yangzhou because the Ming troops stationed in other prefectures and counties either surrendered directly or had surrendered soldiers to help him capture cities.

Soon, after two days and five rounds of negotiations, which made Li Jiyu so tired that he had to gasp for breath, Duoduo and Gao Jie finally agreed on the details and price of the final surrender.

Although three thousand taels of gold and thirty thousand taels of silver were not small amounts, Duoduo did not care. He alone had earned more than that from Xi'an.

However, having or not having something and being willing to give it are never the same thing.

Duoduo actually also had his eyes on the wealth of Huai'an and Yangzhou, so he gave Gao Jie two choices - to take the silver now, or to make more money when the city was broken.

Gao Jie didn't hesitate at all and chose to put the treasure into the bag. He also hinted that he would repay Duoduo's kindness in the future. This also allowed him to successfully pass the last level of Duoduo, Bolo and Tulai.

After all, who knows how much they can plunder when they capture Huai'an and Yangzhou? Even Huang Taiji can't control such things, let alone Duoduo.

As for the position of Governor of Zhejiang, Duoduo naturally did not dare to promise it. He only said that Gao Jie had to make enough contributions before he could be sure of giving him this position.

But Gao Jie was not willing to make such a deal based on empty promises. He immediately asked Li Jiyu to bring Duoduo's handwritten letter and demanded that the merits required of him before the promise would be fulfilled. He also asked that it be clearly stated in black and white, with no room for regrets.

Duoduo, Bolo, Tulai and other high-ranking Qing army officers were all amused by Gao Jie's stubbornness, but then they thought, if he didn't really want to surrender, why bother to fight like this?
For this purpose, Duoduo confidently sent one of his subordinates, Bayala, and also sent Liu Zhong, the Dashun Pingnanbo, who had surrendered to him in Luoyang more than a month ago.

Of course, this person's role is the same as Li Jiyu's, both of which are to allow Gao Jie to surrender without any worries and feel confident.

The three men, accompanied by several men, carried more than a dozen boxes of gold and silver and quickly entered the city. In a luxurious mansion in Gaobu, south of the city, they met Gao Jie, who was dressed in gorgeous clothes and looked a little out of place.

Liu Zhong was originally a little worried about the fully armed soldiers in the mansion, but when he saw this scene, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He had known Li Zicheng for a long time, so naturally he also knew Gao Jie. Like Li Jiyu, the two of them came from peasant armies and had experiences of surrendering or relying on the Ming court. Naturally, they had a lot of common topics.

However, Liu Zhong's experience was much more up-and-down than Gao Jie and Li Jiyou. He had previously been the Pingnan Earl of Dashun and was deeply trusted by Li Zicheng. Now he had joined the Qing army, and his resume was very rich.

Gao Jie looked at the two men who had only a few pigtails left on their heads after shaving their heads, and a trace of contempt flashed in his eyes. After exchanging greetings with the two men, he personally went to check the yard and saw the dozen or so boxes of gold and silver sent by Duoduo.

Then, while he asked his men to count, he led the three people in front of him into the hall and suddenly said with a smile:

"Poor His Majesty, less than a year after ascending the throne, disaster has befallen you."

"The Ming Dynasty is on its last legs and beyond redemption. What can a teenager do?" Li Jiyu secretly glanced at the Duoduo guard who followed him, and then shouted:
"Especially those ministers in the court who are only concerned with fighting for power and fame. I heard that every day in the court, no matter if there is anything to do, they just argue non-stop. It takes several days to argue whether to send troops or not. If there were not a few people who really do things, I am afraid that Jiangbei would have surrendered long ago.

We in the Central Plains are the ones who truly understand the will of heaven. Now the Qing has entered the Pass to mourn the late emperor and raise troops to fight the rebels, but Nanjing has sat idly by. The Qing naturally demands an explanation, and as loyal and honest people, we naturally have an obligation to do the same."

Gao Jie was stunned for a moment after hearing this. He had never expected that Li Jiyu, who had been quite normal a few days ago, would become such a shameless person. After a long pause, he forced a smile and cursed:

"Who are you trying to fool by saying these things in front of me, you son of a bitch?"

"Governor Gao, how can this be considered a lie?"

Li Jiyu had never been loyal to the Ming court, but now, having heard the nonsense of a few scholars from somewhere, he even had his own sensational theory to justify his surrender to the Qing court:

"The Zhu family considers themselves benefactors, viewing the world as a brothel, officials as madams, and the common people as prostitutes. They also believe that warriors like us are pimps, living on his rewards.

But where did his reward come from? How could we help the tyrant to oppress the people of the world, while letting the Zhu family abuse them? At the same time, we have to pay tribute to the Zhu family, and at the end, we still have to shout "The emperor's grace is great."

"You..." Gao Jie had a very complicated expression when he heard this. He was confused for a moment. Not only did he have no words to refute, he even felt that what Li Jiyu said made some sense. The status of a military man in the court was indeed no different from that of a turtle man.

He paused and then said:
"Your Majesty has treated you well. When he summoned you south, you insisted on staying in western Henan to defend the territory. I thought you were truly loyal, but it turns out you've been harboring thoughts of surrender for a long time."

However, Li Jiyu did not feel ashamed at all, but said proudly:

"He who knows the current situation is a hero. Governor Gao, you and I follow the true ruler of this world. From now on, we will enjoy endless wealth and glory! How can the Zhu family ruin this world while we can only live as pimps?"

When Gao Jie heard this, he naturally understood that Li Jiyu's shameless words were actually meant to cover up the fact that he regarded the people of the world as prostitutes. He surrendered to the Qing Dynasty because he didn't want to be a pimp, but wanted to be a brothel owner, and he also wanted the Tartars to be his so-called patrons who took advantage of him for free.

However, he did not engage in a verbal argument with the other party. He immediately turned his head to look at Liu Zhong, and this time he really laughed out loud:
"Hahahaha, damn it! Li Zicheng is still the same as before, he can't judge people. He actually gave such an important position as Luoyang to you to guard!"

"I am also following the will of heaven. Li Zicheng is a thief after all, so of course I can't follow him." Liu Zhong was teased by Gao Jie, but he was not afraid at all and directly refuted him.

He had previously enjoyed Li Zicheng's trust and was granted the title of earl as a surrendered general. When he was in Shanxi, he was afraid of the enemy and cowardly, and lost the important town of Lu'an before the Qing army arrived. However, he was soon forgiven by Li Zicheng, who allowed him to lead troops to garrison important towns like Luoyang.

However, when Li Zicheng and Duoduo fought at Tongguan, Liu Zhong, who should have attacked from behind or at least contained Duoduo, did not move his troops in order to leave himself a way out. Therefore, when Li Zicheng was defeated and fled to Huguang, and Duoduo led his troops eastward, he surrendered directly.

However, in Liu Zhong's eyes, Gao Jie was not a good person either. How could he tolerate the other party being so sarcastic to him?
"Why, are you tough now?"

Gao Jie looked down on people like Liu Zhong who could surrender to the Tartars. If the officials were not human, then the Tartars were worse than animals. He glanced at the men who were counting the gold and silver and nodded to confirm that the amount of gold and silver sent by Duoduo was correct. His face changed immediately and he laughed coldly:
"You bastard, you even surrendered to the Tartars and didn't even acknowledge your ancestors. How dare you act so pretentiously in front of me? You're simply despicable!"

"You??" Liu Zhong, Li Jiyu, and Bayala who came with them were all shocked when they heard this, but it was too late.

"Catch them all!"

Gao Jie shouted loudly, and the fully armed soldiers guarding the mansion immediately drew their swords and rushed out. One team was specifically responsible for dealing with the soldiers brought by Li Jiyu and others in the yard, while the other team rushed forward and captured the three people who had taken off their armor.

"Cuckold? Li Jiyu, I'll make you a eunuch!" Gao Jie rushed forward and kicked Li Jiyu in the crotch.

"Ah!" Li Jiyu only felt a sharp pain in his crotch, and then a warm current slowly flowed out, and then he screamed.

Gao Jie heard the screams and thought of Li Jiyu's words that had just been used to humiliate Zhu Cilang. His anger surged again and he stepped forward and kicked him several times, cursing as he did so:

"Come here, cut off this son of a bitch's tongue! How dare you curse His Majesty? I'll let you curse, let you curse, and see how you can curse again in the future."

　Thanks to the book friend "Yuekenlu Dazhuang" for the reward.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)