Emperor Chongzhen was too extreme.

Chapter 49 Huang Taiji's Ambition
For Huang Taiji

The main purpose of today's political discussion is to set the main strategic goals of the Later Jin Dynasty for the next one to two years.

The target of their strategic objective was naturally the Ming Dynasty.

Huang Taiji nodded in approval.

A general with a raven-tail hairstyle was the first to step forward and speak:
"My lord, I believe that our Great Jin should focus its military efforts on continuing the offensive on the Liaodong front for the next two years."

“A few months ago, you personally led an attack on Ningyuan and Jinzhou to test their strength. Although you did not capture them in one fell swoop, this probing attack showed that these two cities were not as difficult to conquer as we had imagined.”

"Moreover, if we can capture these two cities, then the entire Liaodong region will be indefensible for the Ming Dynasty, and our Great Jin can use them as a stronghold, allowing us to attack or defend as needed."

"It's even possible that we could use this to march south and conquer the Central Plains in the future."

Faced with the strategy proposed by his direct subordinate, Huang Taiji did not respond, but simply nodded slightly to encourage the others to continue.

Around May or June.

He led his troops to attack the cities of Ning and Jin within a month of each other.

Although the two city commanders remained holed up inside their cities and dared not engage in battle, it was not so easy for the Jin dynasty to take down these two cities.

They are better at open field battles than sieges.

However, Huang Taiji did not rebuke his generals for their suggestion.

As the Great Khan, his job was to select the most suitable suggestion from among the many proposals, rather than rejecting any that were deemed inappropriate.

As for what his subordinates said about heading south to conquer the Central Plains...
Huang Taiji did indeed have this ambition.

However, that's too far off right now.

Seeing that the general's suggestion had not been adopted, a Han Chinese man then stepped forward:

"Your Majesty, I believe it is not worthwhile to waste too many troops on Ning and Jin cities."

This Han Chinese man did not address Huang Taiji as master or servant.

Of course, it's not that he doesn't want to.

After all, it's impossible to expect a traitor who surrenders to have much integrity.

The main reason is that within the current Later Jin court, only some of Huang Taiji's direct subordinates can speak to him in this way as a sign of favor.

After a pause, the Han Chinese man continued:
"Some powerful families in the Ming Dynasty were still hoping to trade with our Great Jin Dynasty in the Liaodong region, so they would never watch Ning and Jin fall!"

Huang Taiji, sitting at the head of the table, nodded and cast an appreciative glance at the Han man.

Since ancient times.

The fundamental purpose of these nomadic peoples' continuous southward migration was actually for trade.

Burning, killing, and looting were merely means; trade was the ultimate goal.

The ultimate goal is not so easy to achieve, which is why we keep using the same methods repeatedly.

Take the Later Jin region as an example.

They lacked food, cloth, and various handicrafts, but not hard currencies such as gold and silver.

Not to mention how much gold and silver they've plundered over the years.

But here's the thing.

Having money is useless; this place doesn't produce these necessities.

Therefore, Han Chinese from the south smuggled these items to Liaodong, where they were then sold to smugglers.

The profits involved have increased many times over.
Just based on this.

Huang Taiji knew that the powerful families and clans of the Ming Dynasty would not allow the Liaodong front to fall easily.

Otherwise, how would they make money?
Upon receiving Huang Taiji's praise, the Han man immediately adopted a flattering and obsequious expression, saying:
"Therefore, I believe that we should bypass Ning and Jin cities directly. Our Great Jin may be able to break through the Great Wall and enter the pass directly from Mongolia."

"For those powerful and wealthy families, there was no profit to be made in defending the Great Wall against the Mongols, and the Ming court was corrupt and in arrears with its pay, so it was impossible for them to organize an effective defense."

"Therefore, this strategy is much more practical than a desperate attack on Ning and Jin cities." As soon as he finished speaking, a Jurchen general retorted, "Hmph! Nonsense! If that were the case, wouldn't our Great Jurchen soldiers be caught in a pincer movement by the Ming Dynasty after entering the pass from Mongolia?"

"I can clearly see that you still have the Ming Dynasty in your heart! You're actually giving advice and strategies to the Ming Dynasty!"

Seeing that someone dared to question the loyalty of a traitor, the Han man also lost his temper. He immediately changed his obsequious expression and spoke righteously:

"Gentlemen! I want to see the Great Jin march south and destroy the Ming Dynasty even more than you do!!! How dare you doubt my loyalty to the Great Jin?!"

"Enough!" Huang Taiji, sitting on the throne, waved his hand, stopping the dispute.

He then looked at the Han Chinese man and said, "Continue."

The Han man glared at the Jurchen man who was refuting him, and then continued, "Great Khan, you may try to deduce this."

"If you were in the shoes of those powerful and aristocratic families, and saw the Jin dynasty bypass Liaodong and march directly into the pass, would you still have tried your best to stop them?"

Huang Taiji's expression hardened: "Of course not."

For those powerful and wealthy families, their raids to the south had no impact on their interests whatsoever.

Even said.

After plundering and acquiring more money, it became even easier for them to do business with them.

Seeing this, the Han man knew that Huang Taiji was interested in his suggestion, so he continued to speak loudly:

"Therefore, I believe that bypassing Ning and Jin cities and entering the pass directly from Mongolia to the south is the strategic development direction for our Great Jin in the coming years!"

"Even if it doesn't work out, with this entry into the pass, our Great Jin will have the leverage to negotiate peace with the Ming Dynasty!"

The words "peace talks" deeply touched Huang Taiji's heart.

He desperately wanted to negotiate peace; he practically dreamed of it.

Peace talks.

This means that they no longer need to rely on smugglers to supply them with the materials they purchase from Liaodong.

Who would spend ten taels of silver for something that can be bought for one tael?!
This explains why he was so overjoyed when Yuan Chonghuan privately approached him to negotiate peace some time ago, but then immediately broke down in anger and became furious upon discovering he had been deceived.

now think of it.

Huang Taiji realized that he might have acted impulsively at the time and shouldn't have stood up and directly scolded him.

Yuan Chonghuan, as the garrison commander of Ningyuan, was a representative chosen by powerful and influential families.

Infer according to common sense.

Whatever his purpose, he should not have proposed peace talks in private.

Given this, Yuan Chonghuan must have had a deeper, unknown purpose.

Unfortunately, Yuan Chonghuan had already been dismissed and was no longer the garrison commander of Ningyuan.

Otherwise.

Once he realized the intricacies of the situation, Huang Taiji insisted on speaking with Yuan Chonghuan and asking him what exactly happened.

at this time.

Huang Taiji had already been persuaded by the Han official.

By taking a detour through Mongolia to enter the pass, they would not encounter too much resistance and could also gain leverage for negotiations.

He was about to ask everyone to think deeply about the feasibility of this move when he heard one of his trusted generals speak up.

This general was not knowledgeable in military affairs, but in Huang Taiji's eyes, his position and responsibilities were much more important than those of other generals who were good at fighting.

This person was primarily responsible for intelligence work with the Ming Dynasty.

The general with a raven tail spoke up: "Master, I have heard that the newly enthroned young emperor of the Ming Dynasty is ruthless and has a strong desire to govern well."

"Therefore, if we easily detour through the pass and head south, something unexpected might happen!"

(End of this chapter)