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

Chapter 355 The Second Time 226!

The fourth day of the first lunar month.

Kunming, Yunnan.

The band played "The Imperial March," and the black and red dragon flag slowly rose over the city walls. The slogans of the Three Dukes, still covered in paste, were pasted on the city gate.

This is the three-piece set of the empire personally designated by Chief Minister Chiang Kai-shek!

A group of Eight Banner soldiers rode arrogantly into the city gate. Their mission was to supervise Emperor Yongli to set off for the capital as soon as possible.

Habrin was among them.

suddenly~
His pupils constricted, and he swiftly drew his sword.

Not far away, a troop of cavalrymen in blue helmets and armor were staring coldly at him.

"The remnants of the Zhenglan Banner!"

"Jiang Qingyun's lackey!"

Both sides drew their bows and nocked arrows, glaring at each other, as if a full-blown fight was about to break out at any moment.

Fortunately, Ma Jixiang, the pillar of the Ming Dynasty's cabinet, was prepared and quickly mobilized a large number of soldiers to the scene, thus preventing a potential firefight from breaking out at any moment.

……

Palace.

The envoy bowed respectfully to Yongli.

"Your Majesty, according to the Jiangning Agreement, you should return to the capital now."

"May I bring the Prince of Jin with me?"

"No."

"Where is the Duke of Qian?"

"No way."

"Am I really to be sent to the distant capital alone? What if something happens to me on the way? Who will protect me?"

The messenger smiled, unfolded the imperial edict, and read it aloud.

"United Empire Cabinet Order No. 3"

"The title of Prince Li Dingguo remains unchanged, but he is additionally granted the title of Grand Marshal of the Southwest Army, commanding the troops of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces (including the Tusi armed forces). He may send one of his sons to the capital for official appointment as a principal of the Ministry of Rites."

"Mu Tianbo, the Duke of Qian, retains his title and continues as Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou. He may recommend one of his sons to enter the capital and be granted an official position through hereditary privilege, serving as a Principal of the Ministry of Rites."

"Cabinet Minister Ma Jixiang entered the capital and was appointed as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites."

"The title of Duke of Liao, Wuerte, remains unchanged. He can serve as His Majesty's bodyguard and will be appointed as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War after entering the capital."

Everyone was stunned.

Uert calmly walked out of the queue.

"Angel, how can you guarantee that Prime Minister Chiang won't seek revenge later?"

The messenger smiled.

"The Prime Minister said that fairness, impartiality, and transparency are the three principles of governing the country. He also said that time will tell, so let's wait and see."

Wuerte sneered and said no more.

"Your Majesty, esteemed officials, are there any other questions?"

Yongli couldn't wait to ask the question he cared about most: "Where shall I reside after we arrive in the capital?"

The envoy bowed and said, "According to the Agreement of Jiangning, Your Majesty will reside in the Forbidden City."

Yongli was beaming with excitement.

The civil officials were also excited. First, they restored the Ming Dynasty, then seized power, first sidelined the emperor, then sidelined the chief minister. The future of the Ming Dynasty was bright!

Ma Jixiang lowered his head and remained silent. He knew things wouldn't be that simple; Chief Minister Jiang wasn't stupid.

Li Dingguo remained silent throughout.

……

Since suffering from tea poisoning at Bafeng Mountain in Guangxi, Li Dingguo has remained silent, taciturn, and quiet, a stark contrast to his usual self.

That night.

Uert visited again.

The two sat facing each other, drinking, and neither spoke for a long time.

Fifteen minutes later~
"Your Highness Prince Jin, now that things have come to this, can you speak frankly with me?"

"What's done is done, there's nothing more to say."

Uert stood up angrily.

"Your Highness?"

"Your Highness!!"

Li Dingguo smiled bitterly, shook his head, and tilted his head back to drink another glass of wine.

Uert drew his sword, cut off a corner of his robe, threw it to the ground, and stormed off in a rage.

Outside the hospital.

"uncle?"

Wuerte didn't even glance at him, and strode away.

Li Puxing and Li Sixing looked at each other, then went into the house and saw their father holding the torn robe of Wuerte in his hand, tears streaming down his face.

"father?"

"Sit down and have a drink with your father."

The atmosphere was so tense it felt like it was about to explode.

"Dad, what's wrong?" "I don't know. Everything is so strange. Everyone seems to have taken the wrong medicine, and everything seems to be going wrong."

Li Dingguo looked extremely distraught and tilted his head back to drink another cup.

Li Puxing was honest and straightforward.

Li Sixing was intelligent.

Li Sixing: "Father, His Majesty has betrayed us."

"shut up."

“Father, the Ming Dynasty has inexplicably disintegrated. You are very confused now and don’t know which way to go next.”

Li Dingguo remained silent.

Li Sixing: "Father, it's not hard to figure it out. Who benefits? That's the mastermind behind it all!"

"what do you mean?"

"Chief Minister Chiang."

……

The imperial guards of the Ming Dynasty were composed of the Plain Blue Banner.

In an effort to win over the Uerte, the Yongli Emperor repeatedly summoned him, bestowed gifts, hosted banquets, and had heart-to-heart talks, which finally persuaded the Uerte to reluctantly agree to lead his army back to the capital with the emperor.

February 20th.

The city gates of Kunming were packed with people.

Li Dingguo, Mu Tianbo, and others went five miles outside the city to respectfully see Yongli off as he headed north. The scene was filled with the sounds of gongs and drums, a lively spectacle, as if it were the last vestige of glory for the Ming Dynasty.

On-site, the Yongli Group split up once again.

A few former officials refused to follow Yongli north. They preferred poverty to abandoning their integrity, throwing their official robes and hats on the ground and turning away. They even refused to bow to Yongli.

Yongli was extremely embarrassed, yet there was nothing he could do.

Li Dingguo and Mu Tianbo bowed:

"Your Majesty, please take care."

"Take care, both of you. I will summon you to the capital again in the future."

……

Jiang Qingyun dispatched a Niru (a unit of the Eight Banners) to the south to escort him.

The leader reported:
"Your Majesty, by order of the Grand Secretary, we will serve as the vanguard for the imperial procession, conducting reconnaissance, exploring routes, providing security, and keeping a 10-mile distance from the imperial procession."

"it is good."

Emperor Yongli's entourage exceeded 2000 people, with many carriages, horses, luggage, and family members, so much so that the caravan could only travel ten li a day, slower than a tortoise crawling.

Throughout the journey, Wuerte's gaze grew colder and colder.

The 6st day.

In the afternoon, a sudden heavy snowfall began, falling thick and fast.

"My lord, I never expected it to snow in Yunnan."

"Yes."

Ulte tilted his head back, letting the cold snowflakes fall on his face and melt silently.

suddenly!

A young eunuch came to deliver an imperial edict.

"His Majesty has ordered that due to the freezing weather, we must halt our advance and set up camp on the spot."

"Father-in-law, the imperial carriage has only traveled 5 li today. At this rate, when will we ever reach the capital?"

"Several of the concubines were sensitive to the cold, so~"

"understood."

……

evening.

After arranging a series of tasks such as setting up camp and guarding the area, Uert inspected the camp in the snow. Around the imperial carriage, the aroma of wine and meat filled the air, and the sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air.

He gazed at the brightly lit imperial tent.

Suddenly turning his head, he said:
He does not resemble a ruler.

The guards of the Plain Blue Banner who were following him looked solemn and gripped their sword hilts tightly, sensing that something important was about to happen.

Sure enough~
Uert asked softly:

"Gentlemen, do you remember what day it is tomorrow?"

"226."

Ulte gazed at the sky and muttered to himself.

"226, how could we forget this special day? Pass down the order: the Plain Blue Banner will never be enslaved. At dawn tomorrow, the traitors of the nation will be punished by heaven."

"Whoo."

Everyone accepted their orders and left.

The next morning.

Fully armed soldiers of the Plain Blue Banner emerged from their tents and silently assembled. Snowflakes fell from the sky, and in no time, their blue helmets and armor turned into white helmets and armor.

In a daze, I was back in Beijing several years ago.

Last time it was to kill the Qing emperor, this time it's to kill the Ming emperor!

I don't know if we are crazy or foolish, we only know that we are rushing forward!
(End of this chapter)