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

Chapter 323 The distinction between friend and foe begins to blur.
Zhoushan Islands.

After Jiang Qingyun placed Shunzhi under house arrest, the Qing army did not launch any further attacks on the Zhoushan coast.

The Ming soldiers were in small groups, some sunbathing, some enjoying the sea breeze. Their discipline was poor, and they were lazy and undisciplined. But considering that these men were former pirates, it all made sense.

Inside a simple wooden hut.

Grand Secretary and Minister of War Zhang Huangyan received a letter from his old friend Huang Zongxi. His reaction was first surprise, then delight, and finally suspicion.

I've read it ten times!
He suddenly rushed out of the house, shouting wildly all the way: "The restoration of the Ming Dynasty is in sight! The restoration of the Ming Dynasty is in sight!"

Everyone was baffled.

"What's wrong with the Minister?"

"Sigh, Minister Zhang is probably under too much pressure lately."

"In my opinion, the Ming Dynasty is doomed sooner or later."

"Not necessarily. The Ming Dynasty still has Wu Sangui, the pillar of the southwest."

"Ha, you mean Ping Xibo, the traitor who served three masters? No, he's a traitor who served four masters now."

"Ha ha ha ha."

The soldiers let out a rough laugh.

This is the Zhoushan Islands!
At the internal meeting held that day, nearly 90% of the people scoffed at the "unified empire idea," and many more angrily denounced their old acquaintance Huang Zongxi for being willing to deceive his old brethren on behalf of the Qing court.

Zhang Huangyan remained silent. He was willing to believe in his old friend's character, and he believed that Huang Zongxi would always put the greater good of the righteous path before his own life and death.

"There must be a reason! There must be a reason! I need to write to him and ask him to find out!"

……

Maolu Mountain.

This is the core area of ​​the Thirteen Families of Kuidong, an anti-Qing armed group that effectively controlled more than 20 counties. In case of trouble, the leaders of each faction would rush here to discuss the matter together.

The envoy sent by Wu Sangui was beheaded and displayed to the public on Liu Tichun's orders.

Hao Yaoqi used the letter delivered by Jiang Qingyun as toilet paper.

The extremely isolated mountainous environment fostered the extremely closed-off character of the Thirteen Families of Kuidong; they were unwilling to trust any outside force.

Unless, the rebel leader is resurrected.

……

Guangxi is nestled among towering mountains.

Having been on the run for several years, Emperor Yongli was extremely dissatisfied with his current situation. He longed for a clean and magnificent palace, gentle and virtuous palace maids, and civil and military officials standing on both sides.

Instead of what we have now, drinking mountain spring water, living in stilted houses, eating wild fruits, and embracing simple-minded women from the mountains.

He was the emperor of this entire mountain valley.

On the mountainside~
The "temporary palace" consisted of a row of simple wooden huts. Nearby was a small grove of trees. A shirtless soldier, who was both cooling off and keeping watch, suddenly stood up and shouted.

"Hey, His Highness Prince Jin and the Duke of Liao have arrived."

Before long, Li Dingguo, dressed in short clothes and straw sandals, and Wuerte entered the palace together. They simply bowed and then sat down on the simple tree root benches.

The exiled regime has fallen to such a state that etiquette is really unnecessary.

Emperor Yongli carried an earthenware pot, and the Lady of the Mountain Valley quickly set out bowls.

The cool mountain spring water was served in large bowls to everyone, and people could drink as much as they wanted.

"Have you two ministers found out what's going on outside?"

"Your Majesty, we have sent people to inquire from various sources and have now confirmed that Wu Sangui, the Prince of Pingxi, has occupied Hunan and Jiangxi, and the Qing army in various provinces is suffering repeated defeats."

"Great."

Emperor Yongli looked very excited.

Li Dingguo and Wuerte exchanged a glance.

Wuerte patiently advised, "Your Majesty, Wu Sangui is a despicable person who has repeatedly betrayed his country. He raised the banner of overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming only to glorify himself. This person is absolutely untrustworthy."

"I know. But no matter what, the Earl of Pingxi dealt a heavy blow to the Qing army."

Li Dingguo said:
"Your Majesty, I have a bold idea."

"speak?"

"Use Wu Sangui's power to develop our own."

"Explain in detail?"

"Wu Sangui's anti-Qing and restoration of the Ming is a pretense; his true desire is to become emperor. However, he doesn't dare to drop his pretense yet. Therefore, Your Majesty can issue an imperial edict demanding grain, weapons, and pay from him, and he will have to give them to him even if he has to hold his nose."

Emperor Yongli paced back and forth in the room excitedly. "A good idea, brilliant! Prince Jin, you truly are my trusted advisor. I entrust this matter to you."

"According to the order."

……

After leaving the "palace", Li Dingguo and Wuerte walked one after the other, picking wild fruits hanging from the trees along the roadside.

“Prince Jin, I am not at ease with that person.”

"Me too, but the idea that person came up with for us does have a very high probability of being implemented."

"That's the problem. He's our enemy. Do you think he'd want us to be well?"

The two were very upset.

A few days ago, Jiang Qingyun sent a letter through a messenger, in which he included this terrible idea of ​​"asking Wu Sangui for money, grain, and military equipment."

“Prince Jin, you may not know this, but Jiang Qingyun is a scoundrel with festering sores on his head and a belly full of evil. I have dealt with him before.”

Li Dingguo stopped.

“Duke, it’s been years, and I’ve never asked about your past.”

Wuerte gave a bitter smile.

"Since we have nothing to do today, shall I tell you?"

"Okay."

The two found a large rock to sit on, and Wu'erte said quietly, "The story between him and me begins with that meeting at the Southern Garrison Command in the capital."

A full half hour.

Li Dingguo was speechless.

How can there be such a treacherous person in the world?

"Yeah yeah."

"But we really have no other choice but to go out of our way."

"Yes, he calculated that we had to do things his way, and he calculated that we had no other choice. Like that time, at first I thought it was just an ordinary meeting, but later, I, a captain of the Plain Blue Banner, led troops to besiege the Forbidden City, and later became the Duke of Liao of our Great Ming."

puff~
Li Dingguo couldn't help but laugh.

“Duke, I’m not mocking you, I just think your experiences are too bizarre.”

"Yeah, I think it's weird too."

The two walked side by side on the rugged mountain path, bathed in the afterglow of the sun.

Who could have imagined that a former leader of the Great Western Army and a former officer of the Eight Banners would become close friends and dedicate their lives to saving the dying Ming Empire?

Life is so magical.

enemy?

friend?

Who knows~
Hatred is as vague as a distant dense forest, ideals are as fragmented as the setting sun on the horizon, and life is as winding as the mountain path beneath our feet.

……

Meanwhile, in Beijing, thousands of miles away, the expansion of Chiang Kai-shek's private residence, Club No. 13, was finally completed.

A two-story red brick building.

The second floor.

Soft wool carpet.

Flowing Suzhou embroidery curtains.

A unique and alluring incense.

Twenty-three wrist-thick candles continuously emitted light in all directions, which was then refracted back and forth by more than a dozen huge mirrors embedded in the walls.

Romance needs no further explanation.

Seventeen frosted glass jars of different colors, each containing a lit candle. Driven by a clock mechanism, the jars rotate continuously on the ceiling, their hazy, multicolored lights swirling and dancing.

Exquisite, needs no further explanation.

As Newton once said: "Every charlatan has a genius hidden beneath his skin!"
Ferdinand Verbiest was willing to do anything to get permission to preach in the East! To gain trust, he even contributed his complete glassmaking technology in his spare time while casting cannons!
Amidst the light and elegant music~
Seventeen-year-old Liu Shuzhao wore an expensive openwork gold silk dress, her face covered, her legs bare, and her feet bare as she danced gracefully. Her hands were as soft as silk, her skin as smooth as cream, her head was beautiful and her eyebrows arched, her smile was charming and her eyes were bright and beautiful.

Every gesture and glance reveals true knowledge.

The artistic content is off the charts!
23-year-old Jiang Qingyun sat upright. As the Grand Secretary of the Empire, even during this time of entertainment, he had to devote half of his brainpower to thinking about the war in the south.

(End of this chapter)