You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Chapter 150 Let's head south! Nikan~
Meridian Gate.

A senior official from the Ministry of War shouted:
"Urgent message from the front line: Great victory in southern Sichuan! Great victory in southern Sichuan!"

He tripped and fell in the square because he was running too fast, but he ignored the pain, got up and continued running.

Military reports wait for no one.

Especially the good news.

Qianqing Palace.

Emperor Shunzhi was overjoyed and read the thin piece of paper over and over again three times.

"Your subject Wu Sangui kowtows. On the 16th day of the fourth month of the eighth year of the Shunzhi reign, your subject led 30,000 soldiers in a bloody battle, defeated the forces of the pseudo-Shu King Liu Wenxiu, beheaded more than 6000 enemies, and recovered twelve cities. Currently, your troops are stationed in Leshan, deterring the heartland of the Great Western bandits."

"Okay, okay."

At this moment, Shunzhi remembered the auspicious omens reported by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, and this made perfect sense.

……

"The Empress Dowager has arrived!"

"Mother, what brings you here?"

"I heard you have some good news here, so I came to see what's going on."

"Wu Sangui led his army to defeat Liu Wenxiu's main force in southern Sichuan, achieving a great victory in the southern Sichuan campaign. In addition, half a month ago, the troops of Prince Pingnan, Shang Kexi, defeated more than 5000 Ming soldiers west of Wuzhou, and Prince Dingnan, Kong Youde, killed more than 2000 Ming soldiers in battle in Liuzhou. Mother, in this way, our army will be able to launch a pincer attack on the enemy from the east and the north. We only need to press on and we can take Yunnan and Guizhou in one fell swoop."

"I'll bet you, the upcoming battles will definitely not go as smoothly as you think."

"why?"

"Because you haven't yet issued an edict to announce to the world that you have made these four princes."

Shunzhi's smile froze instantly.

"Mother, do you think Wu Sangui and Kong Youde are deliberately procrastinating and delaying the battle?"

"What do you think?"

"Bastard thing."

Emperor Shunzhi was furious.

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang remained calm.

"So, how do you plan to seal them off?"

"I intend to grant Yunnan to Wu Sangui, Guizhou to Kong Youde, and arrange for Shang Kexi and Geng Jimao to be sent to Fujian. These four Han princes will be in charge of the army on horseback and the people on foot."

"This would not be a good thing for the country. If they develop disloyal intentions, Guangdong will be the first to fall, Hunan the second, and Jiangxi the third."

"What can Mother do?"

"I do have an idea, you might want to listen to it."

"Mother, please speak."

"Don't issue an edict to confer titles on princes yet. Instead, secretly send a strong Eight Banners army south. They'll be like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Then you can deal with them later."

Who will be the commander?

"Nikan!"

The mother and son understood each other without saying that Nikan was brave, but not very useful; he was best used to steal credit.

……

"Fulin, I heard that Jiang Qingyun has returned to the capital?"

"Yes, he came back the day before yesterday, and I talked with him for two hours."

"What did he say?"

He said that the Ming Dynasty served as a warning, that Chongzhen had no money and the common people had no money, but the officials and gentry were all rich. The problem lay in the procedures. The court could not define the procedures, but the officials and gentry could define them at will. Implementing reforms to the Ministry of Revenue's procedures could suppress the princes and ministers who were in charge of government, as well as the local gentry, which in turn strengthened the central government and the imperial power.

"He makes a good point."

"Mother, I heard from the people in the Thirteen Offices that you have planted spies around him?"

"That's true. We're monitoring him, and at the same time, protecting him."

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang spoke frankly, and Emperor Shunzhi nodded silently.

If a subject is loyal, he should not hide anything from me. If a subject has nothing to hide, he should voluntarily disclose his secrets so that I can feel at ease.

"What did you discover about the eyeliner?"

"She didn't poke deep enough, so she didn't find anything. However, I've noticed lately that Ning Wanwo and Jiang Qingyun are getting closer and closer."

“Ning Wanwo has recently submitted several memorials requesting strengthened oversight.” “Fulin, the art of emperorship is the art of balancing. The Manchu princes and ministers span both the military and political spheres, controlling the Six Ministries on one hand and the Banner Affairs on the other. To check and balance them, you must make good use of Han officials and Mongol princes.”

"Your son will remember your teachings."

Although Emperor Shunzhi was dissatisfied with Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, he also knew that in many matters, their common interests outweighed their conflicts.

……

The next day.

Council of State Ministers.

As soon as Emperor Shunzhi proposed the idea of ​​sending Manchu bannermen into battle, it received strong support from the public.

"Your Majesty is wise. This glorious military achievement must not be taken by the Han people. The Qing Dynasty belongs to us Manchus, and we must not turn the world upside down."

"Yes, send troops!"

Mandahai, the banner chief of the Plain Red Banner: "This banner is willing to share the burdens of the imperial court."

Luo Keduo, the banner chief of the Bordered Red Banner: "This servant is willing to lead troops on a southern expedition."

Jirhalang, the banner chief of the Bordered Blue Banner: "The warriors could not have asked for this more than they could have."

With their banner leaders gone, the commanders and deputy commanders of the two white banners were eager to fight: "We are willing to share the Emperor's burdens and kill the Great Western bandits."

The two yellow banners were personally led by Emperor Shunzhi, which goes without saying.

The promising prospects temporarily masked the contradictions. For a time, the emperor and his ministers were in harmony, the Eight Banners were united, the atmosphere was enthusiastic, and everyone was eager for war.

……

Shunzhi:

"Manchuria is the foundation of the Great Qing, and the bannermen are the cornerstone of the court. We must not go to the battlefield lightly without absolute certainty. Bannermen are precious and cannot be lost. Therefore, I have decided to select 400 Manchu bannermen from each banner as officers, and then select 2000 Han soldiers and 2000 Mongol soldiers. In this way, we will have a large army of 27,000 men, fully equipped with weapons and warhorses, and we will march south as soon as summer is over."

"The Emperor's Holy Might."

Emperor Shunzhi nodded in satisfaction:

"Prince Zheng, which route should the army take when it sets out?"

Of all those present, Prince Zheng, Jirhalang, was the most knowledgeable about the war, having spent a considerable amount of time in Hunan.

"This servant believes that the army should enter Guangxi from Hunan, rest in Guilin, and then attack Yunnan, capture Kunming, thus forming a three-sided encirclement of Guizhou. Guizhou is poor and cannot support a large army. It will take at least six months to a year for the Ming army to collapse."

"We will follow Prince Zheng's suggestion." Shunzhi turned his head and said, "Nikan, I have decided that you will be the commander-in-chief for this expedition, and I will appoint you as the General of Dingyuan."

"Your Majesty, I thank you."

Nikan's eyes lit up with excitement.

……

Prince Li's Mansion.

Mandahai and Lekedehun met again.

The two listened to the opera while discussing the matter of sending troops.

Because Emperor Shunzhi was obsessed with the mysterious songs and dances in the Red Palace and led the way in decadence, the nobles of the capital were not to be outdone and followed suit.

Nowadays, every Manchu family with a noble title has a theatrical troupe, and everyone has a hobby.

Mandahai's rant.

"I really didn't expect the Emperor to appoint Nikan as commander. Nikan is more than qualified to be a vanguard officer, but as the commander-in-chief, he's a bit...hehehe."

Lecder sneered.

"I deliberately picked a piece of rotten wood. Rotten wood poses no threat and is unfit for any important task."

"Our emperor is not old, but he is very cunning."

"It's possible that someone was instigating it behind the scenes."

"You mean the Empress Dowager?"

"It could also be Jiang Qingyun."

“I’m worried that he will cancel the Council of Ministers.”

"Impossible, unless he wants to force both the Red Banners and the Bordered Blue Banner to rebel at the same time. Prince Zheng has privately conveyed the message: the banner chiefs cannot be deposed, the Council of Princes and Ministers cannot be abolished, and the bottom line cannot be crossed. Otherwise, it means that treacherous officials in the court have deceived the emperor, and we must purge the court of these treacherous officials!"

“Prince Zheng, you are not confused about important matters.”

(End of this chapter)