The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 334 A Plan to Turn the Tide, A Surprise Attack on Yunnan

After traveling at a leisurely pace, Gong Weihua and his group finally arrived outside Chengdu in mid-October.

In the distance, the city gate was heavily guarded, and the soldiers coming and going were clad in bright armor, with sharp eyes and an imposing presence that even surpassed that of the bandits near Jianzhou.

The official road was bustling with vehicles, and many militiamen wearing red headscarves were moving about, guiding the flow of traffic.

Red banners with white lettering were hung everywhere outside the city, covered with all sorts of slogans, such as...

They opposed the Ming dynasty, advocated for equal land distribution and grain rations, and stipulated that those who did not go hungry would not have to pay taxes; they also stipulated that those who did not pay taxes in Liaodong would not have to pay grain rations, ensuring that their families would not go hungry, and so on.

Looking at these outrageous slogans, Gong Weihua felt a chill run down his spine.

These damned bandits really want to uproot our Great Ming Dynasty!
But since he was on someone else's turf, no matter how dissatisfied he was, he didn't dare show it on his face.

After their official documents were examined, the group was politely led into the city.

The city streets were very clean, and although the market was not as bustling as Yangzhou, Suzhou and Hangzhou, it was still lined with shops and showed no signs of desolation.

The person in charge of receiving the delegation was He Hong, the Director of the Reception Department of the Ministry of Rites.

In the Ming Dynasty's system, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was equivalent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, mainly responsible for handling all matters related to the tribute missions of various foreign tribes.

This includes receiving guests, bestowing gifts, identifying tribute routes, tribute envoys, and tribute items, determining the standards for welcoming and sending off guests and for banquets, and deciding on the level of rewards, etc.

Originally, in Jiang Han's current Ministry of Rites structure, the Department of State Affairs was always an empty department, with only the Departments of Ceremonies, Sacrifices, and Fine Foods in operation.

He now only controls two provinces, so what need is there for him to communicate with foreign vassals?
It wasn't until he heard that the imperial court had sent envoys to negotiate peace that Jiang Han urgently transferred He Hong from the Ministry of Revenue to the Ministry of Rites, temporarily appointing him as the Director of the Bureau of Receptions to receive the imperial delegation.

He Hong was from Chongqing Prefecture, and was not very old, only in his early thirties.

He temporarily arranged for Gong Weihua and his party to stay at the post station in the south of the city, where everything was provided and they were kept under strict guard.

That evening, He Hong hosted a banquet at the inn to welcome Gong Weihua and the others.

The banquet was not extravagant; it consisted of simple dishes of chicken, duck, fish, meat, and seasonal vegetables, with local Pitong wine as the main ingredient.

He Hong didn't ask many questions, but frequently urged others to drink, and chatted very warmly about the hardships along the way, the sights and sounds of Chengdu, and other everyday matters.

Most of the accompanying officials were the same, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the atmosphere gradually became lively, and Gong Weihua was already somewhat drunk.

Seeing that the time was right, He Hong waved his hand to dismiss the irrelevant people, leaving only a few guards to stand guard outside the hall.

He pretended not to know, picked up his wine glass, and spoke first:
"Your journey has been arduous, sir. May I ask what brings the imperial court to send you on this long journey?"

"Speak frankly. His Highness the Prince of Han is also very concerned about the court's movements."

Gong Weihua put down his chopsticks, raised his glass in response:
"Our mission is not by imperial decree, but by the Emperor's secret order."

"His Majesty could not bear to see war break out again in the southwest, causing widespread suffering and death, so he specially sent me here to see if I could turn the tide."

He Hong frowned upon hearing this, cursing inwardly, "Damn eunuch, if you want to negotiate peace, just negotiate peace, why do you have to spout this nonsense?"

The imperial court readily imposed taxes to suppress the rebellion, and the emperor himself didn't seem to care about the suffering of the people.

He didn't bother with pleasantries and went straight to the point:

"So, the imperial court wants to negotiate peace."

"Speak, what conditions did the Emperor of Ming offer?"

Gong Weihua was taken aback by what he heard. He hadn't expected this person to be so blunt. He was indeed a bandit, and he didn't understand the ways of being an official at all.

But now that he'd already brought it up, he couldn't keep up appearances any longer.

"Your Majesty is merciful. As long as you are willing to cease all military operations and stop attacking Yunnan, Huguang, Hanzhong and other places."

"The imperial court was willing to provide 100,000 taels of silver and 100,000 bolts of silk, and to open trade markets in various places to facilitate the exchange of goods."

He Hong almost doubted that he had heard correctly. That's all?
He couldn't help but sneer, saying sarcastically:
"Father-in-law, are you perhaps making fun of me?"

"You think you can buy my Han army with 100,000 taels of silver and 100,000 bolts of silk and make them stop and abandon their conquest of Yunnan and Huguang?"

"You must have seen some of the bountiful harvest along the way. Do you really think that Sichuan is short of money and cloth?"

"I might as well be frank: our army is at its peak, with ample supplies, and will soon be launching an attack to conquer cities and seize territory."

"This meager reward from the imperial court is probably not even enough to cover our army's expenses for three months."

Gong Weihua's face turned very ugly after hearing these words, but he knew that what the other party said was true.

The scenes he encountered along the way in central Sichuan far exceeded his expectations.

Gong Weihua took a deep breath, suppressing his displeasure, and said in a deep voice:
"Doctor He, that's not how it works."

"His Majesty's willingness to speak is already an immense favor. Do you really intend to go down this dark path and fight against the court to the very end?"

"Of the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty, you have only occupied two provinces. The outcome is still uncertain!"

He Hong picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and sneered inwardly.

As the king had said, the court's peace negotiations were not sincere at all and were nothing more than a delaying tactic.

Seeing this, Gong Weihua, who was standing to the side, stopped talking and simply drank his wine, remaining as steady as a mountain.

He wasn't in a hurry, since the emperor had already instructed him beforehand that his main purpose was to stall for time and buy time for the suppression of bandits in the Central Plains.

The imperial court was determined to wipe out these bandits entrenched in Sichuan; there was absolutely no room for negotiation.

Emperor Chongzhen and Yang Sichang were determined this time. They could negotiate peace with the Later Jin outside the Great Wall, but they had to exterminate these bandits inside the Great Wall.

The reason for this is actually quite simple.

Taking Li Zicheng in history as an example, when he led the Shun army to the gates of the capital, he conveyed the terms of peace talks to Emperor Chongzhen through the surrendered eunuch Du Xun.

"He ceded the northwest region to a king, rewarded the army with one million taels of silver, and retreated to Henan," and "was willing to suppress the bandits within the court and control the Liaodong vassal state without."

This condition was actually very generous; Li Zicheng was even willing to help the Ming Dynasty deal with other rebel armies and the Manchu barbarians outside the Great Wall.

However, Zhu Youjian ultimately rejected the proposal and hanged himself when the city fell.

In the political discourse of the Ming Dynasty, Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, and others were all defined as "bandits".

Those who rebel against their superiors are traitors and must be eliminated, not equal political opponents.

Confucianism emphasizes that the ruler is the guide for the subjects. When a monarch negotiates peace with bandits, it is essentially serving the bandits as a ruler, which seriously violates the fundamental principles of loyalty between ruler and subject and is a political red line that must never be crossed.

But the deeper reason was that there was an irreconcilable class contradiction between the emperor and officials at all levels of the Ming court and the peasant uprising army.

These bandits rebelled with the aim of overthrowing the Ming Dynasty. Along the way, they killed princes and tortured officials and gentry. Therefore, the emperor and his ministers did not believe the bandits' sincerity in negotiating peace.

They believe that if they negotiate peace today, they might start fighting again tomorrow.

The reason why Emperor Chongzhen and Yang Sichang were willing to negotiate peace with the Later Jin was quite simple.

Li Zicheng and other bandits are a serious threat; their heads must be cut off.
Although the Later Jin were fierce and repeatedly raided the pass, in the subconscious of many Ming officials, they were nothing more than a minor ailment, a border threat.

Until the eve of the Ming Dynasty's demise, almost no one could believe that the barbarians from Liaodong would ultimately be the ones to secure the throne.

How could a regime with a core population of only two or three hundred thousand, and no more than one hundred thousand men, possibly gain control of the country?

Even if they are very capable in battle, at worst they will eventually divide the country and rule separately, just like the story of the Song and Liao dynasties.

Since the annual tribute wouldn't come from the officials and gentry anyway, the common people would just have to suffer a bit more.

With this mindset, the Ming Dynasty court still regards the rebellious forces within the Great Wall as the main targets for suppression, and there is absolutely no possibility of peace talks.

If the Ming court did not want to negotiate peace, Jiang Han was even less likely to do so.

Now that he controls Sichuan and Guizhou, with a strong and well-equipped army, and is about to conquer Yunnan, he will not be satisfied with such a small gain.

Stanley Ho also clearly conveyed this point to Gong Weihua:
“Father-in-law, if we are going to negotiate peace, we should at least show some sincerity.”

"My king's meaning is very simple: if he wants my army to stop, the court will have to acknowledge the status quo and establish a separate border with me."

"Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, and even parts of Hubei and Hunan all need to be brought under my rule."

"In addition, the imperial court also needs to provide one million taels of silver annually to appease the military and civilians."

Upon hearing this, Gong Weihua couldn't help but gasp.

Demarcating the borders and establishing a separate rule? Paying a million taels of silver annually? How could a mere eunuch delivering imperial edicts dare to agree to such conditions?

Even without discussing these conditions, their mere presence on the desk in the Forbidden City would immediately incur the Emperor's wrath.

And so, the negotiations, which had just begun, quickly reached a stalemate and ended in discord.

The peace talks remained stalled for the next few days.

The two sides met several more times, but Ho Hung insisted on his conditions of "demarcating the border and governing" and "annual tribute of one million taels of silver" and would not budge on them. At most, he would make some negotiations on the border trade.

Gong Weihua, however, dared not respond at all, only repeatedly emphasizing the court's "favor" and "bottom line," making the negotiation table almost a case of talking past each other.

Upon learning that the negotiations had reached a stalemate, Jiang Han once again summoned his main civil and military officials.

He was not idle during this time either. The Han army had already set off from various places and would arrive at the border area in five days at most.

It's already the end of October. If we miss autumn, we'll probably have to wait another year.

Jiang Han sat upright at the head of the table, surveyed the crowd, and said in a deep voice:
"The emperor has no sincerity in negotiating, so we don't expect to reach an agreement."

"Besides arranging military deployments, there is another matter I have summoned you here for today."

"Since there's no hope for peace talks, are we just going to cut up the imperial delegation like that? We can't just send them back intact, can we?"

"Do you think we can use them to our advantage?"

Zhao Sheng, standing to the side, was somewhat puzzled:

"The leader of this group is just a eunuch. Apart from the empty title of imperial envoy, he has no value whatsoever."

"What do you mean, Your Majesty?"

Jiang Han stroked his chin and pondered:
"Don't underestimate eunuchs. Here, eunuchs are just servants who run errands and do odd jobs; but in the Ming court, it's a different story."

"If you don't believe me, go and ask around. There are many eunuchs sent by the emperor to supervise the army right now."

"Ever since we occupied Sichuan and conquered Guizhou, anyone with eyes can see that our next step will inevitably be to take over Yunnan to eliminate any worries about our rear."

"A few days ago, Shao Yong sent a message from Guizhou saying that Qujing in Yunnan had taken precautions."

"The Duke of Qian's mansion and the Prefect of Qujing mobilized a large number of troops to enter Qujing Prefecture and guard the border pass into Yunnan."

"If our army launches a strong attack, the losses will likely be considerable."

He paused and continued:
"So, my idea is that we might as well turn the tables on them."

"First, feign agreement to peace talks and make concessions, then use the identity of that dead eunuch as an imperial envoy to lower the guard of the Qujing side."

"At that time, our army will launch another surprise attack and will surely be able to break through the Ming army's defenses in one fell swoop!"

Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly understood and nodded in agreement.

Jiang Han went to great lengths to gain Gong Weihua's trust.

He specially cleared out a side hall of the Prince of Han's residence and held a grand banquet, entertaining Gong Weihua and others for ten days. Although he did not personally attend, he still had officials of various ranks in the city, as well as some gentry and celebrities, accompany him in turn.

For ten consecutive days, the Prince of Han's mansion was brightly lit and filled with constant feasts; the hospitality was simply unparalleled.

When Gong Weihua and others suddenly saw the Chengdu officials' attitude completely reversed, they were initially very apprehensive and extremely vigilant, fearing that they had fallen into some kind of trap.

For several days in a row, apart from feasting, drinking, and watching music and dance, the other party stopped mentioning the harsh conditions of "dividing the borders and paying one million taels of silver annually".

On the contrary, in the midst of the revelry, officials and gentry kept mentioning to Gong Weihua, saying things like, "The King of Han actually doesn't want to fight anymore," "If he can get the court's recognition, he can live a peaceful life as a king," and "There is great hope for peace talks."

After a barrage of sweet talk, Gong Weihua and his group gradually lowered their guard and began to think things through:
Could it be that this Sichuan scoundrel is truly intimidated by the imperial court's might?
Or is it that there are peace factions within the organization who want to live a peaceful life?

Seeing that the time was right, Jiang Han sent Zhao Sheng to personally negotiate peace with the delegation again.

It was another grand banquet, with delicacies and exquisite songs and dances.

When the wine was half-finished, Zhao Sheng dismissed his attendants and adopted a sincere and open manner:
"Your Excellency, after several days of careful consideration and repeated advice from us ministers, His Majesty's attitude... seems to have softened somewhat."

Upon hearing this, Gong Weihua perked up and quickly put down his wine glass:

"Oh?"

"What are the conditions set by the King of Han?"

Zhao Sheng raised his cup and explained:
"His Majesty means that peace talks are possible, but more money is required."

"One hundred thousand taels is too little. Change it to two hundred thousand taels of silver and two hundred thousand bolts of silk. This is the bottom line."

"In addition, the border trade must be opened up, as Sichuan is short of horses and urgently needs to purchase them."

"As long as the court agrees, our army can suspend all operations and discuss peace plans with the court."

Gong Weihua was overjoyed to hear this.

Although 200,000 taels of silver and 200,000 bolts of silk are still a large sum, they are worlds apart from the previous outrageous "annual tribute of one million taels of silver".

Could it be that there is actually hope of success for me on this mission?

If the deal goes through, it will be a great achievement when I return, and I will be able to gain a lot of face in front of the Emperor.

He was about to agree, but Zhao Sheng changed the subject, a look of difficulty appearing on his face:
“Father-in-law, this peace negotiation is a complex matter involving many aspects and cannot be accomplished in a day.”

"Correspondence, requests for instructions, and reports all take time."

"However, there is a matter that concerns the success or failure of the peace talks, and it is quite thorny."

Gong Weihua's heart tightened, and he quickly pressed for an answer:
What's the trouble?

Zhao Sheng sighed and explained:

"You are unaware, sir."

"The imperial army in Yunnan has always been at odds with our side, with constant border frictions and frequent small-scale conflicts."

"I had previously heard that Mu Tianbo, the Duke of Qian, had amassed a large number of government troops in the Qujing area, intending to launch an attack on Sichuan."

“The local civil and military officials in Yunnan are unaware that the imperial court intends to negotiate peace. If they rashly attack our troops stationed in Sichuan, it may provoke an even greater conflict.”

"If the war resumes and bloodshed ensues, the peace talks will be ruined."

"If the Emperor blames you then, I'm afraid you'll have a hard time explaining it to him, sir."

Upon hearing this, Gong Weihua suddenly realized why these people's attitude had suddenly changed; it turned out that the Duke of Qian's Mansion in Yunnan had made its move.

His trip was a secret peace negotiation, and the Yunnan side was certainly unaware of it.

"So... what does Steward Zhao mean?"

Zhao Sheng leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice:

"In order to facilitate peace talks and avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, I would like to ask Your Excellency to personally travel to Qujing, Yunnan, in the name of Imperial Envoy, and convey the court's intention to negotiate peace to the local civil and military officials."

"There is no need for an official edict; Your Excellency, in your capacity as imperial envoy, can simply give a private hint."

"Those local officials will likely understand the implications and exercise restraint for the time being."

Upon hearing this, Gong Weihua hesitated.
"This...Master Zhao, it's not that I'm unwilling."

"However, this peace talks were originally a secret decree from the Emperor, and none of the court officials knew about them."

"If we rashly go to Qujing and reveal this matter to local officials, it might cause controversy in the court if it gets out."

"Impression memorials will probably soon pile up on His Majesty's desk..."

Gong Weihua didn't dare to speak up easily. He knew the risks involved, and if things weren't handled well, he would become the scapegoat.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng waved his hand, feigning nonchalance, and said:
"Father-in-law, you are overthinking this. It is not difficult to handle."

"You don't need to say it outright. You just need to use the pretext of inspecting the local areas and comforting the soldiers and civilians to imply that the court may be making strategic changes soon."

"Just tell them to guard the borders and not to start any border conflicts."

"Besides, Yunnan is remote and mountainous, so the news won't get out for a while."

"At that time, Father-in-law will be the one who makes the greatest contribution to facilitating peace talks and eliminating border troubles!"

Upon hearing this, Gong Weihua remained silent, struggling internally.

Although the emperor did not give him explicit instructions before he came out, the meaning was clear.

If negotiations fail, we must do our best to delay the talks, contain the Sichuan rebels, and buy time for the imperial court to suppress bandits in the Central Plains.

But if I can actually reach an agreement, even if it's just a temporary ceasefire, that would be a great achievement.

In addition, the dramatic change in the attitude of Chengdu officials over the past ten days, and the questions Zhao Sheng raised at this moment, have convinced him that Sichuan is genuinely interested in peace talks, or at least willing to temporarily cease hostilities.

Going to Qujing is risky, but if it can ensure that there is no trouble in the rear, I can return and report back safely.

After all, the title of "the meritorious official" was something he coveted.

After weighing the pros and cons, Gong Weihua finally made up his mind and nodded emphatically:
"Alright! Then we'll do as Steward Zhao says."

"I will send someone back to the capital to report to His Majesty."

"Then he personally set off for Qujing to stabilize the situation in Yunnan."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng was overjoyed and raised his wine glass, proclaiming loudly:
"Excellent! My father-in-law is wise and considerate of the bigger picture. I admire him!"

"Then it's a deal!"

"Don't worry, Father-in-law. The journey will be difficult, but we will send soldiers to escort you all the way and ensure your safety!"

After saying that, he waved his hand, signaling the guards behind him to bring up two heavy wooden boxes.

The box was opened, revealing it filled with gleaming white silver, which shimmered alluringly in the candlelight.

Seeing the two full boxes of silver ingots, a glint of greed flashed in Gong Weihua's eyes, and he smiled at Zhao Sheng:

"You're too kind, Lord Zhao. It's all for the sake of the court and the Emperor!"

"Our family will certainly do our best."

The two looked at each other and smiled, saying nothing.

After the banquet, Zhao Sheng didn't dare to delay and immediately reported the news to Jiang Han.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Han smiled with satisfaction.
"The fish has finally taken the bait."

So he immediately began to select the commander in charge of "escorting the imperial envoy".

After much deliberation, Jiang Han finally decided to send Hei Zi to take the lead.

Of the generals in the army, only Cao Er and Hei Zi have time to spare.

Although there was still Deng Qi, he was a newly surrendered general, and Jiang Han still dared not completely trust him.

Only the most trusted confidants can carry out this highly dangerous mission.

Once the order was given, Hei Zi quickly arrived at the Prince's Palace from the military camp outside the city.

Jiang Han didn't waste any words and went straight to explaining his plan to Hei Zi in detail.

"This plan has two lines, one overt and one covert."

"You are the key figure in this operation. I plan to use the pretext of escorting the imperial envoy to have your troops infiltrate Qujing."

"You will lead a crack guard to escort that dead eunuch all the way into Qujing."

"You can choose the people yourself, but don't go for too many, between two and three hundred will do."

"Remember, these people must be the most elite and valiant soldiers, equipped with the best armor and weapons."

He paused, then explained in detail:

"Once you get to the Qujing area, your core task will be to maneuver and deal with people."

"Your department needs to use Gong Weihua's identity, under the banner of the imperial court, to secretly spread the news that the imperial court is negotiating peace with Sichuan and that peace on the border is imminent."

"We must do everything we can to make the garrison commander and soldiers of Qujing lower their guard so that our army can launch a surprise attack."

Jiang Han pointed to the two regions of Guizhou and Sichuan on the map and continued:

"After your troops enter Yunnan, Shao Yong and Li Zicheng's two armies will advance from Guizhou and Sichuan simultaneously."

"Taking advantage of the Ming army's lax defenses, the army will break through the border at top speed and head straight for Qujing!"

"They'll move very quickly, so be prepared."

He stared intently at Heizi, his tone extremely serious:
"Once the main army is mobilized, your unit must create chaos in the city and seize Qujing City in the process."

"The most difficult part of this mission is seizing the right opportunity to capture the city."

"This timing is crucial. If we act too soon, Li Zicheng and Shao Yong's reinforcements won't arrive in time, leaving you isolated in the city at great risk."

"But if we act too late, I fear the Ming army will be prepared and strengthen the city's defenses, causing the plan to attack from within and without to fail."

"The timing is entirely up to you, and it's quite difficult."

He patted Kuroko on the shoulder and said in a deep voice:

"This mission is extremely difficult."

"But if we succeed, we can quickly open the gateway to Yunnan at minimal cost, laying the foundation for the subsequent pacification of Yunnan."

"I'll leave it to you."

Hei Zi listened intently, carefully memorizing every word and detail Jiang Han said.

After confirming and noting it down, he nodded solemnly:

"Your Majesty, rest assured, the mission will be accomplished!"

(End of this chapter)