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

Chapter 176 Chen strongly opposed dividing the country into north and south along the Yangtze River.
Emperor Shunzhi was taken aback, but Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang interrupted him.

"Minister Jiang, what flag are you raising?"

"I suggest that the six elite soldiers of the Plain Red Banner who have been stripped of their titles be moved to the Bordered Yellow Banner with their entire families. Then, the Plain White Banner should be placed alongside the two Yellow Banners as the three upper banners personally led by the Emperor."

"Hmm, I think it's a good idea."

"I also think it's acceptable."

At this time, in the eyes of Emperor Shunzhi and his mother, Jiang Qingyun was handsome and a pillar of the Qing Dynasty.

"Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, may I ask, what are the casualties among the soldiers on the southern expedition?"

Emperor Shunzhi shook his head.

"I don't know the exact number of casualties or how many prefectures and counties we've lost yet. I estimate we'll know in the next two or three days. If—and I mean if—all 30,000 bannermen are wiped out, the court will probably have to divide the country along the Yangtze River."

Jiang Qingyun blurted out, "I would rather jump into the North Sea than accept the division of the country into North and South by the Yangtze River."

……

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang suddenly stood up, her smile warm and gentle.

"I have heard that your wife is a remarkable woman who is no less capable than any man. When you have time, please have her come to the palace to meet me."

"I am deeply grateful for the Empress Dowager's favor. However, my wife comes from a military family and is illiterate, lacking knowledge of literature, etiquette, and social customs."

"I love women with such genuine personalities."

"Thank you, Queen Mother."

During the Q&A session, Jiang Qingyun's facial expressions were perfectly controlled, conveying four parts gratitude, three parts surprise, two parts anxiety, and one part smugness, making for a perfect ten.

Wu Liangfu observed this and thought to himself, "Thank goodness you're not a eunuch. If you were, I'd be no match for you."
……

As evening approached, darkness fell.

An impromptu court assembly was held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, with guards standing in rows, creating a tense atmosphere.

Three important matters were discussed.

The first thing to do is to inform everyone that the front lines have suffered a defeat, one king has been killed in battle, and another has died of illness.

The second item was the announcement of the punishments for the four councilors.

The third thing – raising the flag together.

The Mongol princes and Han officials missed the tense scene that had just unfolded, and were slow to realize what was happening. They gasped in surprise, some wept, some were shocked, and some were stunned.

The Manchurian officials remained calm.

The officers and soldiers of the Plain White Banner shouted "Long live the Emperor!" with tears of gratitude. It had been so difficult; they had finally emerged from the shadow of Dorgon.

The three banners, personally led by the emperor, held a superior status.

The officers of the Bordered White Banner felt a pang of jealousy.

The effect of differentiation then becomes apparent.

The emergence of the Upper Three Banners signifies that Shunzhi suddenly had an additional banner of trusted followers at his disposal, allowing him to easily suppress other individual banner leaders.

……

When the court session ended, the sky was filled with stars.

From the Hall of Supreme Harmony to the Meridian Gate, guards holding torches lined both sides to illuminate the ministers' return route.

Tonight, Beijing is destined to be sleepless.

The frontline suffered a major defeat, the six princes forced the emperor to abdicate, the Plain White Banner was raised, and the people were filled with unease.

Exhausted, Jiang Qingyun arrived at Zhengyang Gate and witnessed a shocking scene: more than a thousand soldiers, who had been sitting or standing, quickly lined up and knelt down on one knee in unison.

"Greetings, Vice-Governor."

The torches illuminated the gleaming swords and spears.

Jiang Qingyun looked at the faces, some familiar and some unfamiliar, and felt quite gratified.

Military discipline is combat effectiveness.

"The brothers of the Five Cities Garrison are all excellent. Each of them will be rewarded with five taels of silver as encouragement. However, tonight, we still need to trouble you brothers to patrol the city all night, taking turns to rest, to safeguard the safety of the Forbidden City."

"As ordered."

The military command temporarily mobilized more than a dozen restaurants to provide late-night snacks. The patrolling soldiers were divided into three groups: one group patrolled the city armed, one group slept, and one group ate and drank.

In the barracks, the soldiers on their days off were all drinking. A little alcohol can be beneficial when one is extremely tired or stressed, especially on a cold winter night.

Having narrowly escaped death, Jiang Qingyun, holding a wine bowl in one hand and a roasted lamb leg in the other, moved through the ranks of soldiers without any regard for his image.

suddenly~
The soldiers made way, and a horseman reined in his horse and entered the camp, the masked knight holding a long spear.

Jiangnan is here!

……

In a warm room in the military camp, Jiang Qingyun held Jiang Nan's hand, unconsciously stroking it.

"Madam, how is things at home?"

"Everything is settled."

"Yes, the court was extremely dangerous today. If it weren't for divine intervention, I almost wouldn't have made it out of the Forbidden City."

Jiangnan's pupils shrank instantly.

"Husband, what's going on?"

"Well, thankfully the night is long, so let me tell you the story slowly."

Before Jiang Qingyun went to the palace in Jiangnan to pay her respects to Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, she felt it was necessary to tell her about her carefully crafted situation and persona.

However, he concealed his deeper scheme.

If Jiangnan knew too much, he wouldn't be able to hide his thoughts from an old fox like Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang.

After some conversation~
Jiang Qingyun felt sleepy.

"Madam, I'm going to take a nap. Call me if you need anything."

"Hey."

He rested his head on his legs and fell into a deep sleep. When he woke up, he found that it was already early morning.

"Husband, you're awake?"

……

Chongwen Gate and Xuanwu Gate did not open on time, leaving only Zhengyang Gate as a side gate for traffic between the southern city and the inner city.

The atmosphere in the inner city remained tense.

The six princes were kept overnight in the Forbidden City, ostensibly as a sign of preferential treatment, but in reality, they were placed under house arrest.

It wasn't until Shunzhi completed the troop deployment adjustments in the inner city that they were allowed to return to their respective residences under the escort of the vanguard battalion.

Upon returning to the manor, he was confined for 10 days. He was forbidden from leaving the manor and from making any contact with others. Even the servants of the manor were not allowed to leave the gate. Anyone who disobeyed this order would be executed without mercy.

However, visitors are not prohibited from visiting.

If any loyal bannermen come to visit their banner leader, it is permitted.

Those bannermen who dare to visit at this time are all loyal confidants who would follow their banner leader without hesitation even if the banner leader rebelled. It is not a bad thing to expose these people in advance.

All visitors were blacklisted by Emperor Shunzhi.

Settling scores later~
……

"Your Majesty, should we send reinforcements south?"

"Don't worry, don't worry."

"I am unable to eat or sleep properly."

"You should prepare for the worst. Just assume that the more than 30,000 bannermen who went on the southern expedition have been wiped out, and that everything south of the Yangtze River, except for Sichuan, Guangdong and Jiangnan, has fallen."

"I regret that I should not have sent the bannermen south. I should have planned this more slowly."

"Fulin, never have regrets in life. No one in this world is without mistakes. It's okay to make mistakes. First, accept reality, and then try your best to make amends."

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang was remarkably calm.

"Mother, I'm thinking about something. Is the spy that Kong Youde mentioned true?"
“I would rather believe that something exists than something that doesn’t exist.”

Who could be the spy?

"Hard to say."

"Does Mother suspect Jiang Qingyun?"

"It can't be him."

"why?"

"intuition."

Shunzhi suddenly turned pale. He suddenly thought of someone and looked up at Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang. Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang seemed to have guessed his thoughts and nodded solemnly.

"Mother, could it be him?"

"Hard to say."

Shunzhi's face was filled with worry. If it really was him, then the trouble would be immense. This man now commanded the Qing Dynasty's most formidable army besides the Eight Banners, numbering as many as 80,000.

Before the words were even finished...
Grand Minister Ao Bai, who was in charge of the imperial guards, rushed into the palace.

"Your Majesty, the latest military report from Hunan."

(End of this chapter)