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

Chapter 269: Time is running out for Shunzhi~
At the end of March in the eleventh year of the Shunzhi reign, Jiang Qingyun embarked on his southern tour.

Before setting off, he did five things.

First, the Zhili Green Standard Army was allocated 4000 sets of cotton armor, 5000 matchlock guns, and countless other military supplies such as bows, arrows, swords, and spears, all through proper procedures.

Secondly, his family left Beijing and moved into the Zhili Governor-General's Office in Baoding Prefecture.

Third, he transferred more than 4000 trusted subordinates, most of whom temporarily resided in Baoding Prefecture, while a small number accompanied him south.

Fourth, 3000 elite Manchu bannermen (mainly from the Bordered White Banner) and 1000 men from the Infantry Commander's Office were selected to form the Imperial Envoy's guard.

Fifth, the emergency cabinet will be temporarily headed by Prince An, Yue Le.

……

On the day of departure, Emperor Shunzhi led civil and military officials on foot to see him off for 20 li outside Yongding Gate.

Ten thousand people saw off the Grand Secretary, turning back every step of the way.

Even the best opera troupe couldn't portray such a grand and sincere scene.

Jiang Qingyun cupped his hands in greeting: "It's getting late, Your Majesty, please return."

Emperor Shunzhi's eyes reddened: "Your Excellency, please be careful and return as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Before I depart, I would like to ask Your Majesty for two more people."

"who?"

"The Imperial Preceptor, Tianji, and the Grand Eunuch, San Gonggong."

"I grant all your requests, Your Excellency. However, I am merely curious as to why you require these two individuals."

"Jiangnan is full of beautiful women. I would like to select one or two concubines for Your Majesty during the southern tour, who are of good character, well-educated and virtuous. With the Imperial Advisor present, we can analyze their birth charts. With the Chief Eunuch present, we can serve you personally."

Emperor Shunzhi nodded.

Tianji remained unperturbed by favor or disgrace, while the Third Eunuch's face turned ashen.

"Your Majesty, take care."

"Father, please take good care of yourself."

In this situation, Jiang Qingyun still maintained basic respect for Shunzhi, bowing once more before gracefully mounting his horse.

The Third Eunuch took a deep breath and spoke clearly and distinctly:
"The Grand Secretary is on a southern tour!"

A thousand riders galloped wildly, their banners obscuring the sky.

In the springtime of North China, sand and stones flew everywhere. Jiang Qingyun turned his head and saw Shunzhi still standing there waving. This gesture fully expressed his longing for him.

Fifteen minutes later, Shunzhi gently exhaled a breath of stale air and unconsciously straightened his back.

"Go back to the palace."

"According to the order."

……

Forbidden City.

Emperor Shunzhi kept track of the imperial envoy's marching route daily through the official gazette.

This is roughly how the emperor viewed things.

On the first day, the loving prime minister left the loyal capital.

The following day, the unnamed Imperial Grand Secretary stayed in Baoding Prefecture.

On the eighth day, the powerful minister who held absolute power entered Dezhou Prefecture in Shandong.

On the nineteenth day, the despicable and shameless thief who stole the country arrived in Huai'an Prefecture, Jiangsu Province.

On the twenty-ninth day, the monster from the Han Banner Army committed all sorts of atrocities in Yangzhou Prefecture.

This time, Shunzhi was very patient, like a true old hunter, quietly waiting and waiting.

It wasn't until Jiang Qingyun passed through Huai'an Prefecture that Shunzhi began to summon the Eight Banners officials.

People are the most crucial element.

He would summon at least 20 Manchus in a single day, dismissing all attendants during the conversations, working tirelessly from morning till night.

Shunzhi knew very well that this was his last window of opportunity. If he couldn't regain control before Jiang Qingyun returned to the capital, he would be lucky to even become Emperor Xian of Han.

……

The imperial envoy, numbering over four thousand, traveled south along the Grand Canal, advancing by both land and water, making a grand and imposing procession, with ceremonial regalia almost matching that of the emperor himself.

Overstepping one's bounds is the true nature of powerful ministers.

As it turned out, after several years of repeated training, the loyalty of the Eight Banners descendants to the Aisin Gioro clan had significantly decreased. The accompanying Manchu cavalry escorted them along the way, showing them utmost respect. When they arrived at Baoding Prefecture, Jiang Qingyun and his father had a private conversation for two hours, during which a heated argument broke out.

As the argument grew louder, Ms. Wen couldn't help but knock on the door to try and stop it.

"Can't the father and son have a proper talk?"

“Do you know how audacious he is now?” Jiang Zhongcheng lowered his voice to the lowest level. “He actually secretly imprisoned the Empress Dowager, keeping her locked up in the backyard.”

Wen was stunned.

"Father, you don't understand. The Empress Dowager is a magic weapon against the Mongols. It can be surprisingly effective in critical moments."

Jiang Zhongcheng paced back and forth in the room, feeling agitated.

"Father, I'm warning you, you must do as I say during my southern tour. Otherwise, you will die and your entire clan will be exterminated."

"well."

"You now swear an oath before your ancestors."

Jiang Qingyun stayed in Baoding Prefecture for a day and a half, during which he held intensive meetings with various officers and generals, offering encouragement or hints, and leaving his father with meticulous strategic arrangements.

Baoding city had ample food supplies, so even if it was besieged for 6 months, it would not run out of food.

The ultimate strategic goal of using Zhili to surround the capital was to make everyone lose faith in Shunzhi.

……

Texas roast chicken is delicious.

The snacks in Linqing are quite good.

Huaiyang cuisine is very refined.

Along the way, Jiang Qingyun and Zhou Shao continuously analyzed the current situation.

"Prime Minister, should we speed up the pace of the large force and catch the three provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Jiangxi off guard?"

"No need, no need. I just want to give the wealthy families in Liangjiang time to plan their counterattack. Don't worry, they won't dare to rebel. They love to engage in political intrigue and manipulate public opinion."

"I understand."

“Look, the Grand Canal connects the capital to Hangzhou. By securing both rivers, you control this vital artery. If something happens to the capital, you can cut off our supplies at any time.”

"Yes."

"The position of Governor-General of Liangjiang is extremely important; you must hold onto it for me."

"Don't worry, Grand Secretary, I'll go wherever you point."

As we were talking~
Wen arrived.

Zhou Shao quickly got up.

"Prime Minister, I shall take my leave now."

"Old Zhou, while you have some free time on the boat these next few days, think about how to reasonably collect taxes from the two rivers."

……

Wen glanced at Zhou Shao's departing figure.

"Yun'er, do you trust him a lot?"

"Yes, Master Zhou is a reliable person, knows when to advance and retreat, and acts cautiously. I want him to be the Governor-General of Liangjiang to keep a tight grip on my finances."

Jiang Qingyun stood up and offered his seat.

"Mother, please sit down."

"Currently, the central government is weakened, and many provinces only obey orders without taking orders. The provinces are only superficially obedient to the central government, but I don't have much time left. If I control Zhili and the capital, I can use the emperor to command the other provinces. If I control Liangjiang, I will have no worries about money and grain. Only with Zhili and Liangjiang in my hands can I slowly conquer the world."

"The advantage of the Jiangnan region is that the local forces are not strong, and the Donglin Party has a very shallow foundation. Compared with aristocratic families, powerful clans, and chieftains, their prominence is nothing more than a handful of sand."

"The same applies to Zhili."

"The two places are similar in nature, but they were formed for different reasons. The local forces in Zhili were repeatedly wiped out by peasant armies and Qing troops, leaving less than two out of ten survivors. The Donglin Party was like a tree without roots; it seemed strong, but it couldn't withstand even the slightest storm. They only wanted to enjoy the benefits but didn't want to take responsibility. Little did they know that deep roots and taking responsibility are intertwined. By abandoning responsibility, they were abandoning their foundation."

……

After a long while, Wen spoke softly.

"What I really want to remind you is that after you arrive in Jiangnan, you'd better not get too involved with the Manchu soldiers, otherwise it will cause hatred among the people."

“I know that the Imperial Envoy’s headquarters and the Manchu army will maintain a certain distance, and I will also enforce military discipline. But without deterrence, it won’t work. If there is no deterrence, who will be willing to pay taxes and provisions?”

Wen nodded silently.

(End of this chapter)