Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 133 Don't try to talk back to me. That day at Ningyuan City, I ordered you all to fight, but you all pretended to be dead.

October 10th, the first year of Chongzhen's reign, the second year of Tiancong of the Jiannu (Jiangnu rulers).

A cold wind swept across the walls of the Shenyang palace, carrying fine snowflakes. Inside the Dazheng Hall, charcoal fires burned, turning a purplish-red color. Huang Taiji leaned back on his throne, finding the brazier in front of him somewhat obstructive, the flickering flames making his mouth dry.

Sitting to his left was Prince Daishan. This man seemed kind to everyone, but in reality, no one was colder-hearted than him. When the news of Yuetuo's death in battle arrived, even he couldn't help but shed tears, but Daishan didn't even flinch at his son's death.

To his right were the Second Prince Amin and the Third Prince Mangultai. This was the third year of Huang Taiji's reign. Although he had risen from the last seat to the middle, the rule that he, as the Great Khan, should sit alongside the three great princes to listen to the government still made him feel uneasy.

This meeting was initiated by Amin, and in essence, it was a provocation or retaliation against him!

Huang Taiji sent a peace letter to the Ming Dynasty through Li Yongfang, a Ming general who had surrendered and was stationed at the front lines. He hadn't consulted with the other princes about this, but the news still leaked out. That damned Li Yongfang! He had clearly pledged allegiance to him, but it turned out he was such a two-faced scoundrel, still in contact with Amin! Damn him!
Because the attack on Pi Island resulted in the death of Yuetuo, Amin was forced to sacrifice thirteen Niru (military units) to compensate for the boy's life. This number wasn't originally necessary, but Huang Taiji, who was at odds with him and, as the Great Khan, favored him, forcibly allocated ten of Yuetuo's Niru to his brother Jirgalang and three to Daišan. Ironically, Shuo Tuo, the most heartbroken by the death of his brother, received nothing.

Originally, Amin only had thirty-three Niru (military units), but after losing three at Pi Island and then another thirteen, he now only had seventeen Niru, or five or six thousand men. Huang Taiji himself suffered heavy losses at Jinzhou and Ningyuan, while he, who had achieved resounding victories in Korea, was being punished—even the Khan had no such rule!

His conflict with Huang Taiji had a long history, and the two had already broken off relations last year. Amin crossed his arms and coldly glanced at Huang Taiji. Before he could speak, Mangultai spoke first: "Great Khan, we fought our way to Liaodong, why should we negotiate peace with the Han people?"

"You said 'Liaodong was won through a bloody battle,' but the acquisition of Liaodong was not solely due to military force. The Ming Dynasty was vast and rich in resources. Although our Great Jin Dynasty was victorious, its military strength and resources were ultimately limited. If the war continued, our troops would be exhausted, and the Ming Dynasty could mobilize troops from all over the country to come to our aid. This was not a long-term solution."

After several battles, my army has been depleted of resources. If we do not cease hostilities and negotiate peace, how can we sustain ourselves? Negotiations and surrender are merely expedient measures. If Ming can cede territory and pay reparations, I can temporarily cease hostilities and conserve my strength for the future; if Ming has no sincerity in negotiating peace, I can then launch another campaign, which will also have a legitimate reason.” Huang Taiji explained calmly.

"A just cause for war? Ha! Isn't Father's 'Seven Grievances' enough to justify our war? Since we followed Father in raising an army, we have been invincible in battle and have never been defeated. Liaodong and Guangning were taken by force, not by negotiation!"

"Huang Taiji, you advocate peace talks. Are you afraid of the Ming army, or are you being instigated by Han officials? Have you betrayed the foundation of our Zhushen? I told you long ago that you are no good. I think it would be better to give the Khanate to the First and Second Beile!" Mangultai said with a mocking expression.

“Hey, Fifth Brother, don’t say such things and hurt our harmony. Eighth Brother is more suitable to be the Great Khan than I am.” Daishan pretended to appease Mangultai, but in reality he was distancing himself from the situation. He then said to Huang Taiji, “Great Khan, I have never had any disloyal intentions. Please don’t misunderstand.”

However, he changed the subject and said, "The four princes' council is a rule set by the old Khan. For important matters like peace negotiations, the Great Khan should still discuss them with the princes before proceeding, so as to avoid misunderstandings and damage to the harmony between the brothers."

Amin's face was cold. Mangultai's words sounded nice, as if he really supported him becoming the Great Khan, but wasn't Mangultai himself the one who wanted to be the Great Khan the most? If he showed any intention, these three brothers would probably gang up on him again.

Upon this thought, Amin suddenly spoke up: "The Third Prince is right! When the Khan raised his army against the Ming Dynasty, did he ever say that he wanted to sit down and drink tea with the Han people?"
"How many Ming dogs did we kill and how much land did we seize in Liaodong? And now we want to ask them for a reward?! Huang Taiji, were you stunned by the Ming cannons under the walls of Jinzhou?!"

These men, calling him Huang Taiji and Eighth Brother at the same time, never truly regarded him as the Great Khan! Huang Taiji's expression darkened. To the north of the hall, the four great princes were locked in a power struggle; to the sides, the other lesser princes stood frozen in fear, not daring to utter a sound. But if asked for their opinions, they all expressed a desire to avoid peace talks, as it was a severe blow to the morale of their men.

Yes, they didn't capture Ningyuan and Jinzhou, but they didn't lose either! Taking a city isn't that easy. Isn't it normal not to succeed?

"Fine, so none of you want to negotiate peace. Our country is currently suffering from a severe drought, and the people are starving and dying. Countless people are dying of hunger. What do you suggest we do?" Huang Taiji said coldly.

"What else can we do but plunder the Ming Dynasty!" Mangultai shouted.

"Don't try to talk back to me. Back then, when I ordered you to fight at Ningyuan City, did even one of you say a word? When it came to actual fighting, you were too scared to fight. Now you're sitting at home spouting nonsense. Do you think you're so great?!" Huang Taiji was not a man of good temper and scolded him without any politeness.

Mangultai's momentum faltered for a moment, then he whispered, "Back then, it was that scoundrel Yuan Chonghuan who was defending the city. Now he's been dismissed by the Emperor of Ming. Maybe we can take it now?!"

“Now that Yuan Keli is the military commissioner of Liaodong, do you think he’s easy to deal with? How about your Plain Blue Banner is the vanguard for this campaign against the Ming?!” Mangultai didn’t dare to reply and fell silent.

“The Ming Dynasty is difficult to conquer in a short time, so why don’t we continue our campaigns against Korea and Mongolia?” Daishan said.

“Agreed!” Huang Taiji said.

“I agree,” Mangultai also stated.

The three of them looked at Amin, who was extremely annoyed. He said, "Conquering Korea is no problem, but who gets the territory we take?! Also, don't try to change the subject. Let's clarify the private peace negotiations first!"

Huang Taiji frowned, sighed, and said, "I have never really wanted to become a vassal of the Ming Dynasty and pay tribute. This peace negotiation is just a test of the Ming Dynasty."

We don't yet know the character of this young emperor who has just ascended the throne in the Ming Dynasty, but we can get a glimpse of him through testing him; this is a strategy.

If we could exchange it for trade, or even have the Ming Dynasty cede territory and pay tribute, wouldn't that be a win-win situation?
Even if we can't, we can still deceive the Ming Dynasty. Only if the Ming Dynasty doesn't fight us can we free up our hands and concentrate on conquering Korea and the Mongol tribes. This will also make the Ming Dynasty complacent and reveal its weaknesses.

We could also use a counter-espionage scheme, falsely claiming that Yuan Keli and we were secretly discussing something. Emperor Ming is inherently suspicious; this could cause him to act rashly. If it were another muddle-headed fool like Wang Huazhen, our opportunity would arrive!

(End of this chapter)